Purdue University Northwest hosts regional civil engineering student symposium

Civil Engineering student teams ready for the Concrete Canoe event at Wolf Lake Memorial Park in Hammond.

PNW’s UESI Surveying team earns return bid to national finals

Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineering hosted 330 students for the ASCE Indiana/Kentucky Student Symposium in mid-April 2024.

The students represented 13 colleges and universities and engaged in three days of civil engineering competitions that put different areas of knowledge to the test.

PNW’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Surveying team took first place in its competition, earning a bid to the ASCE UESI national competition in June at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. PNW’s surveying team included fourth-year Civil Engineering students Natalia Briggs and Quinton Pender and third-year Civil Engineering students Dylan Barthel and Krish Zalavadia.

The UESI Surveying competition requires competitors to apply civil engineering principles with field equipment, such as a theodolite, in topographic mapping and other field tasks, simulating a real-world professional scenario. PNW earned first place at the 2023 ASCE UESI Surveying national competition at University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Civil Engineering student teams compete in the Steel Bridge event inside PNW’s Fitness and Recreation Center during the ASCE Indiana/Kentucky Student Symposium.

PNW’s ASCE chapter also took third place in the Concrete Disc competition. Other competition events included 3-D Printing, Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and more. Events were hosted at PNW’s Hammond and Westville campuses, as well as in partnership with the City of Hammond by leveraging the Hammond Civic Center and Wolf Lake Memorial Park.

PNW’s ASCE student chapter led and coordinated competition events and lodging and hospitality accommodations for the visiting university teams. Hosting for the ASCE Indiana/Kentucky Student Symposium annually rotates between member universities in the geographic division.

These competition projects really engage our students, lead to improved success, increased retention, and better engagement with our constituent industries for enhanced workforce development.

Bruce Berdanier, dean of PNW’s College of Engineering and Sciences

“I truly enjoyed every moment of it,” said Ben Ayon, president of PNW’s ASCE chapter and third-year Civil Engineering major. “It was truly an honor to represent Purdue University Northwest. We did everything we could to look at event features from the perspective of an attendee. It was a little stressful to get the final details together, but when the time came for competition, it was gratifying to be able to help others and answer any questions.”

“While I am excited about the competition success of the PNW student teams such as the UESI Surveying, I am even more delighted by the work of the ASCE student chapter and the leadership of Ben Ayon and his team in developing and implementing the IN-KY Symposium,” said Bruce Berdanier, dean of PNW’s College of Engineering and Sciences.  “The complex logistical work that they completed really on their own was very impressive to see and indicative of their strong leadership capabilities.  The students worked with their advisor, with PNW Development, with Student Life and the College administrators, as well as multiple external agencies and engineering companies to develop all the details of the conference and the significant funding support they needed to support the engagement of all of the participating universities.

“I like to refer to the work of organizations like the American Society of Civil Engineers as ‘high impact student activities.’  These competition projects really engage our students, lead to improved success, increased retention, and better engagement with our constituent industries for enhanced workforce development.”

Members of PNW’s American Society of Civil Engineering student chapter pose for a group photo during the awards ceremony of the 2024 ASCE Indiana/Kentucky Student Symposium. PNW took first place in the ASCE UESCI surveying competition and third in Concrete Disc.

“The PNW ASCE student chapter did a very fantastic job in organizing the symposium,” said Wubeshet Woldemariam, associate professor of Civil Engineering and faculty advisor to PNW’s ASCE chapter. “I am very proud of all the students who participated in this symposium.  I am very pleased to see our surveying team win the competition for the third time in a row and qualify for nationals. This symposium is a success, as it spotlights PNW Civil Engineering students’ academic excellence and ambassadorship.”

This symposium is a success, as it spotlights PNW Civil Engineering students’ academic excellence and ambassadorship.

Wubeshet Woldemariam, associate professor of Civil Engineering and faculty advisor to PNW’s ASCE chapter.

Civil Engineering as a discipline prepares students for understanding the design and construction of buildings and major transportation, water and wastewater treatment, utilities and infrastructure projects. PNW Civil Engineering majors are rigorously prepared to step into a wide range of professional roles, including but not limited to project management, field works and consulting.

“The absolute broadness is what makes Civil Engineering so special,” said Ayon. “When I graduate, I won’t be stuck with one job choice. Within Civil Engineering there’s roles in transportation, structural design, water design, surveying and more.”