undergraduate spring magazine 2016

The civil engineering program within the department has nine specialty areas a student can focus on. Each area covers a different aspect of civil engineering that heavily impacts today’s society.

What is WE BUILD OUR WORLD?Civil engineering is the profession that makes civilization possible. Projects can affect where we live, work and play, and impact= countless lives. The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering is committed to preparing students to be future professional leaders.

We encourage our students to have a global awareness, and know that they contribute professionally on a local, national and worldwide level.

Civil engineers design and build infrastructure, create safer materials, energy efficiencies and urban renewals. They build the future, and our world, by being problem solvers and civic-minded.

2 CIVIL ENGINEERING | TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING

CONTENTS

Interesting facts about the department

Engineers without Borders

PB&J: a sandwich here for a meal there

Camp BUILD: a week-long camp full of hands-on projects and

education on the many areas of civil engineering

Study abroad opportunities

Q&A with three undergrads involved in research

A former student’s message to future civil engineers

Learn more about civil engineering and our department

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SPRING 2016

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Undergraduate student spotlights

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FACTS

We’re growing each year! Texas A&M is the primary source of civil engineering graduates, producing about half of all civil engineers in the state of Texas.

Fall 2015Women: 219 (30.2%)1st Generation in college: 136 (18.7%)Students from 88 counties in Texas, 22 countries outside the U.S.

*Beginning fall 2014, freshmen were no longer admitted directly to departments. The 2014 and 2015 totals include freshmen who have indicated civil engineering as their first choice.

Enrolled students in the fall semester

2012 2013 2014 2015

980* 986*

842

926

» At graduation, 90% of our undergraduates have a job offer or graduate school acceptance.

» Average starting salary for our graduates is $60,000. » Texas civil engineers have the highest average statewide salary in the profession: $100,330.

» Houston civil engineers have the highest average metropolitan salary in the profession: $112,480.

NINE EMPHASIS AREASCoastalConstruction Engineering & ManagementEnvironmentalGeneral Civil

GeotechnicalMaterialsStructuralTransportationWater Resources

U.S. News & World Report Rankings (rankings among public institutions)

Undergraduate 8Graduate 8

THE


ENGINEERING EDUCATION COMPLEXTransforming Engineering Education

The Zachry Engineering Education Complex, a new, modern educational home dedicated to undergraduate students, will be opening its doors to students in spring 2018. This facility will be unlike any other in the country and is designed and equipped with technology to spark creativity and innovation.

We celebrate our students’ achievements often. In addition to graduation receptions, each fall we host a banquet to honor scholarship recipients and thank our donors who continue to support our students.

» Average scholarship award = $2,300 » 260 scholarships & fellowships awarded each year » $650,000+ in scholarships awarded each year

» American Concrete Institute

» American Society of Civil Engineers

» Association of Environmental Engineering Students

» American Water Resources Association

» Chi Epsilon

» Civil Materials Students Organization

» Engineers Without Borders

» Just4Water

» Institute of Transportation Engineers

» Structural Engineers Association of Texas

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

We host Professional Day every year so students can interact with engineers in the field. Professional engineers from both the public and private sectors visit with students and present on their experience. Professional Day helps students know what to expect and how to succeed in the engineering workforce.Presentations focus on how the profession has developed, what trends to expect in the near future, and what companies expect of new hires. Professional Day also provides career development information from engineers with Engineer in Training, Master of Science and Professional Engineer degrees and more. Following presentations is a panel discussion with a Q&A session, as well as door prizes and dinner. All civil engineering students are invited to participate and expand their network.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Summer of 2015 was the first study abroad Italy trip for the civil

engineering department and had 20 students traveling with two faculty members.

Students remarked that the smaller group really added something more to the trip.

“We want students to know you don’t need to speak the language in order to work abroad,” said Damnjanovic. “We see a huge industry need for

engineers willing to work abroad. Once they become comfortable with this and see it as an opportunity, they are groomed to be mentors to the new generation of engineers. That’s globalization.”

Included in the program are visits to Trieste, Venice, and Rovinj in Croatia, and a technical visit to De Eccher, a large international civil engineering firm. Students were also encouraged to utilize the free weekend as a personal excursion to destinations nearby, like Austria or Rome. The four-week program is based in

Trieste, not far from Venice.

“Our trip was by far the best experience of my life. Given the opportunity to do this again, there is no doubt I would return for round two,” said Katarina Bertlshofer, a junior civil engineering major. “Getting to see firsthand other

cultures and lifestyles was very eye opening and definitely a life changing experience.”

We offer FIVE department faculty-led study abroad programs in THREE countries: Italy, Spain and Taiwan. Students have access to college and university facilitated programs that span SIX continents. [ ]6

Each summer, students from the civil engineering department journey to Spain, 2015 marking the 10th consecutive year the department has been involved in the study abroad trip.

“I love leading this trip and feel it is important because it addresses globalization in engineering and technology,” said Olivera, an associate professor in the department.

The trip averages around six weeks, including a week excursion to Toledo. The rest of the time is headquartered in Ciudad Real while taking short exploratory visits around. Students get the option to stay in host homes or a hotel. Students get three weekend visits to Barcelona and Malaga in Spain, and Lisbon in Portugal.

There is a great deal of flexibility for students to discover Spain way, and some of them have even traveled to other countries in Europe, as well as Morocco.

“I found the course work really interesting and applicable, and it was fun to be able to interact with the Spanish students in our classes. One weekend, my host family invited me to go with them to Valencia where they showed me around the city and we had a big Sunday lunch with their extended family, which included a huge pan of paella,” said Annie Catherine Clark, a junior.

GLOBAL EXPERIENCES

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ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS CLOSES OUT SAN JUAN DE PEÑAS BLANCAS, PLANS UPCOMING TRIPS

Photo credit: Maritza Pancorbo

No plumbing, no electricity, no clean water; this is the reality for millions of people in undeveloped countries. Engineers Without Borders (EWB-TAMU) is a student organization whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of these people by delivering sustainable and innovative solutions to real world problems to empower international communities. EWB-TAMU is a chapter of the national non-profit humanitarian organization with hundreds of collegiate chapters across America.

Established in 2006, the Texas A&M University chapter of EWB began its work by partnering with the EWB chapter at the University of Texas to drill a well in Mexico. Soon EWB-TAMU took on its own full-scale project: a seven-year effort in San Juan de Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica.

In 2014 the chapter began another new endeavor in Los Chaguites, Nicaragua, to provide easier access to clean water and educate the community on different water treatments. This project is serving a community of about 950 people, but the Costa Rica project has been and continues to be its biggest, and most successful project yet. In fact, the project in San Juan de Peñas Blancas has been so successful that the community is now functioning independently and EWB-TAMU’s help is no longer needed.

Jordan Buescher, a graduate student in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and the vice president of projects, travelled on his first trip to San Juan de Peñas Blancas in January 2014 to assess the possibility of building a new water tank site for the community. For the past seven years, EWB-TAMU has taken trips like this one, constructing a computer center for the local school, refurbishing almost a kilometer of water main and building three water storage tanks holding a total of about 17,500 gallons.

“Our latest trip was different; we weren’t there to seek out a new project or continue working on an existing project,” said Buescher of the trip to Costa Rica Jan. 10-14. “Our sole purpose was to monitor and evaluate what was already there.”

What the group found was encouraging to say the least; the people of San Juan de Peñas Blancas had not only maintained all of EWB’s projects, but had also become self sufficient in both the maintenance of the projects and in the planning of future projects.

“The community has matured in its technical capability to the point where they no longer need EWB-TAMU’s assistance in solving problems,” said Buescher.

Kevin Schara ’18 also went on the trip and served as a translator between the EWB team and the community.

“The trip showed me the real world impact that civil engineering can have on communities. I would love to go back,” said Schara.

EWB-TAMU currently has around 90 members and is continuing to grow quickly, allowing it to start planning more trips and projects around the globe. EWB-TAMU is continuing its efforts in Nicaragua, with trips planned in August 2016 as well as the spring of 2017. Additionally, EWB-TAMU recently announced exciting news of a new project to begin soon in Costa Rica, as well as one in Peru.

Students of any major may join EWB-TAMU, giving the organization a diversity of knowledge from all majors and backgrounds to draw from in the planning and implementation of these projects. EWB-TAMU welcomes students from all levels of study, freshmen to doctorate, to work in a collaborative design effort to complete effective designs to solve problems. If interested in joining, as an engineer or to help with fundraising, publicity, media or travel, EWB-TAMU has a place for you.

Engineers Without Borders at Texas A&M exhibits excellence not only in its missions abroad, but also in developing leadership, initiative and intercultural experience in its members. For more information, visit: www.ewbtamu.org.

9CIVIL ENGINEERING | TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING

Meet Helen, Ronnie and Thaddeus. This unlikely group of undergrads met each other through a shared interest for the environment and a unique curiosity that landed them in the research labs of Dr. Bella Chu.

Helen Salama ‘17 transferred into civil engineering for the environmental engineering focus, seeking a prestigious sustainability engineering program. Ronnie Abolafia-Rosenzweig ‘16 grew up in Palmado and Guadalupe, two Texas state parks. He combined his passions for nature and math and found environmental engineering. Thaddeus Nadelson ‘17 was in the military for eight years and moved from Miami. He chose Texas A&M because it is very veteran friendly and because of the strength of the civil engineering program and his passion for the environment.

How did you choose undergraduate research? Thaddeus: I want to go to graduate school and undergraduate research is a good first step. You could go straight through school, but I feel like it is a better contribution to research at the same time. I saw students working in the lab, walked up to them and asked “when can I stop in and become part of the team?”

Helen: When I was at Texas State I looked up professors’ research. I was kind of nervous because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do research. Ronnie encouraged me to talk to Dr. Chu. She was really friendly, with an open-door policy that encouraged our conversation, so I got really into it and enjoy what I do. Ronnie: I am also interested in graduate school to earn a master’s. I wanted to try research before hand, just to see if I was really dedicated to it. So I looked up professors who had ongoing research and looked at the types of projects. I found Dr. Chu and saw she was doing different environmental research projects and I was interested. I went to speak to her and she presented me with six different projects that I could work on. She explained each one, letting me know the difficulties, challenges and backgrounds.

What are you currently working on? Thaddeus: Biofuels research. There is a bacterial strand that contains a necessary ingredient for biofuel production within its cell walls. We have been working on finding a virus that specifically attacks this bacterial strand. Once the virus attacks and kills the strand, the cell wall is penetrated, and the ingredient can be extracted.

Q&A UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH


Q&A UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Ronnie: We also have been doing research on acid corrosion and that’s been quite successful. Airplanes have been facing the issue of aluminum corrosion and would like to combat this. It is hypothesized that the corrosion was due to different fungi that produce corroding acids. We exposed samples of aluminum to environmental factors in order to determine if those alone could cause corrosion. Other samples were exposed to environmental factors along with different types of acids. All of the samples were compared against a control that had been exposed to no stresses. Once the acids that caused corrosion were determined, the fungi that produced these acids that would be likely to grow on an aircraft were determined. By isolating which fungi could be causing the corrosion, appropriate remedies can be put in place.

What are you going to do next? Thaddeus: I would like to do renewable resources and energy. I am Native American; caring for the environment is a big part of my culture. I’d like to do my part to preserve it. Ronnie: I am looking to go into water distribution and sanitation. There are about one billion people out there who don’t have access to clean water so being able to put a dent in that number would be very fulfilling. Specifically I would like to do research and development after graduate school to look at current technologies and see how I could implement them into different systems and make them more efficient. I’m even considering a Ph.D. and starting a new research project to find a new way to sanitize or collect water. Biomimicry, a process I’ve been looking into, seems promising. It’s a process of looking at biofunctions that are already working and artificially implementing them into current systems. Helen: I’m considering joining the Peace Corps when I graduate, a two-year commitment abroad helping a developing community. With that I would be able to put civil and environmental engineering to use by being able to construct facilities or help with water need and sanitation. It’s that or grad school. I’m really interested in renewable energy or low-income development and environmental justice. How does research work with your education? Thaddeus: I didn’t think getting into research would be as easy as it was. The professors welcome you with open arms and there are graduate students to help you adapt to the lab.

Helen: Faculty know we are students first, trying to better ourselves first academically and second with research. Organizational skills, team work and time management are essential because through that you are able to see that maybe I can’t make it at this time, but my partner can. You basically plan out the steps for a project, as best as you can envision them, then you go through with that. As long as you can stay organized, it’s not that hard to balance everything. It helps to have passionate people who really care about the success of the project. We all recognize that we have classes and exams. We work to be flexible with each other and understanding when someone can’t make a meeting.

Why should others consider undergraduate research? Ronnie: Helen and I are both leaders in service organizations and that hasn’t hindered us at all from doing research. I wanted to get something out of the actual field beyond my education and service organization. It’s easy to get into and the professors are really excited to have you on board. If you think you might be interested in research then you should pursue it early. There’s not a major time commitment; you can have as little or as many hours as you want. If you just want to get a feel for the lab, like preparing solutions, or if you want just jump in and run with an entire project by yourself, you can. It’s been a trial run for me, helping me to determine whether to continue with grad school and pursue a career in research.Thaddeus: I see it as a way to benefit society. With any type of research, not just biofuels, you are helping out society in some way. It also looks good professionally if you want a job, because you have the smarts and you are applying the skills that you have learned. It’s great if you want to do grad school, too.Helen: I would say personally it has been one of the most exciting ways to apply my engineering education. Being in classes can get boring if you are just doing theoretical textbook problems. It can make you think “why am I here?” and “what’s the point of this?” By doing research, I was able to focus in on things that I enjoy in work. It gives you more direction when it comes to likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.


Texas A&M University senior civil engineering student Kaci Hicks has a lot on her plate. With graduation approaching in May, Hicks is preparing to move to Houston to begin work at Jones and Carter.

In the meantime, she’s devoting much of her time and energy to an organization that has grown close to her heart.PB&J is a student organization that sells peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to raise money for a worthy cause — feeding children in Kenya. Hicks is director of the group this year.

“We help feed kids in Kenya,” Hicks said, adding that a $2 donation will feed one child for a month. “It’s a minimum donation of $1 for a sandwich.”

In its eighth year, PB&J provides funding for the organization Kenya Kids Can. The group provides a school lunch program that feeds more than 16,000 children every day, as well as computer classes. PB&J raises roughly $100 a week, Hicks said. It’s raised more than $1,200 this year.

“We’re just a simple organization that tries to reach out globally,” she said.

On the local level, PB&J hosts a free garage sale in Bryan, Texas, called Jubilee. The next garage sale is set to take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday (April 23) in Sue Haswell Park. Hicks and her fellow PB&J members have been collecting donations for the free sale.

“Last year we had 150 families come,” she said. “It’s a way to give back to lower income families in the area.”

Hicks said PB&J is a faith-based organization that is open to any student interested in joining. There are currently about 40 members, she said, and the group is very actively involved.

“This year we’ve been able to grow with really passionate people,” she said.

PB&J: A SANDWICH HERE FOR A MEAL THERE

“We’re just a simple organization that tries to reach out globally.”[ ]


PB&J: A SANDWICH HERE FOR A MEAL THERE

Camp BUILDEvery summer we host students for a one-week summer camp designed for high school juniors and seniors. Students get to explore civil engineering as a major and experience the Aggie culture. Guided by our faculty and students, campers work in teams on design projects and learn the engineering design process. Campers also get to tour campus and department facilities, experience on-and off-campus social activities and stay in a dorm. You’ll leave knowing more about the admissions process as financial aid opportunities. More information on our camp on page 18.

Aggieland Saturday Aggieland Saturday is a university-wide open house that allows prospective students and their families to learn about Texas A&M University. This event is free and open to the public.

In just one day, prospective students can meet current Texas A&M students, tour the campus, dorms, labs and libraries, meet fellow prospective Aggies, and interact with Texas A&M’s prestigious faculty and staff. Aggieland Saturday is the perfect opportunity to see what Texas A&M has to offer and to learn more about the various colleges and wide range of majors offered. Information regarding financial aid and scholarships will also be available.

The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering offers tours of the civil engineering labs and facilities, a meet and greet with student organizations, and presentations about the department.Mark your calendars for Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017.

Open HouseThe Civil Engineering Open House is our welcome event for new freshmen to learn about our department and our fantastic student organizations and teams. The best way to get involved early with our profession is by joining these groups and meeting other civil engineering students. Dinner is provided and the evening is built around the chance to just have relaxed conversations with our students and faculty. The next open house is set for Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 from 6-8 p.m.

COME VISIT US


Connie Xavier, a senior from Arlington, Texas, currently studies civil engineering with a specialization in transportation. After graduation she plans to continue her education at Texas A&M studying transportation.

Xavier’s decision to study transportation engineering was sparked by her internship with Kimley-Horn in Dallas where she received hands-on experience with traffic operations, intelligent transportation systems and more. She has been involved with the Society of Women Engineers, the Student Engineers council and Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society.

Xavier credits the department with providing a wide range of organizations and opportunities for students of every specialty. She specifically noted the events with guest speakers, socials, field trips and networking opportunities offered by the department and its various organizations.

“Get involved with an organization and seek a mentor who can share advice and pass on the things that shaped their experience,” said Xavier.

Over the past year, Xavier has participated in research studying intelligent transportation systems under Dr. Alireza Talebpour. Her research focuses on the relationship between traffic flow and density in major urban areas to find correlations between the time of a crash and the resulting flow density diagram.

She hopes that this research will be used to notify other drivers of the crash ahead in time to avoid congestion and major packing. Xavier received her bachelor’s in May and will begin the civil engineering graduate program at Texas A&M in the fall.

“Get involved with an organization and seek a mentor who can share advice and pass on the things that

shaped their experience.”[ ]


Jacob Waggoner, undergraduate student in the department, has a unique background. For 15 years he has been a Navy Seabee, where his focus was in underwater construction on military facilities, which includes maintenance and inspection of pipelines to seawall installation all around the world.

“I really enjoy getting to dive and take care of these important facilities,” said Waggoner. “I have always wanted to study civil engineering, so getting my degree and becoming an officer of the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) is a great opportunity. I am currently enlisted to go into the coastal and ocean division of the CEC, where I’ll later rejoin the construction team, this time as a CEC officer.”

Waggoner was awarded the Sandy and Les Pittman ’74 and Pittman Family Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a U.S. resident currently on active duty, reserve, or an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces seeking a degree in civil engineering, to help transcend enlisted rank to an officer’s rank. Waggoner has received it for the past two years.

Les Pittman, associate professor of practice in the civil engineering department, established the endowment as a permanent commitment to civil engineering students enlisted in the military and working toward their first degree.

“My wife and I make it a point to get to know each and every one of our recipients,” Pittman said. “We attend the banquets and even welcome them into our home for dinner. Waggoner fits this scholarship because he has been focused on the Navy his whole life. He is a family oriented man who works until he gets the job done.”

“This scholarship has impacted my family tremendously,” Waggoner said. “We have two children and the scholarship has helped relieve the financial burden on our family. Since receiving this scholarship I have not only gained financial assistance, but also a family. The Pittman’s have been a huge impact on my life personally and academically. He has been my mentor.”

“I have not only gained financial assistance, but also a family. The Pittman’s have been a huge impact on my life personally and academically. He has been my mentor.”[ ]


Abigail Klein, a junior from Houston, has always wanted to help people. She wasn’t interested in medicine or writing, but excelled in math and science. She pursued civil engineering as a way to fulfill her desire to help people while using her own skills and interests to do so. Klein researches sustainability and is primarily interested in air and water quality.

Her career at Texas A&M has been largely molded by her study abroad trip to Spain in 2015. Klein was impressed and inspired by the dedication of her professors who made sure they knew everyone on the trip by name, building personal relationships with each student.

Klein is also heavily involved with her sorority, Delta Zeta, where she served as risk manager for a semester, implementing a new risk management program for the chapter. Between involvement in a sorority and the challenging engineering classes, Klein also joined the Aggie Challenge Research program in the engineering department. Her research in this program is based on sustainability in Qatar.

Klein and her partner are researching desalination techniques to grain water using artificial wetlands. Klein also recently interned with Terrain Solutions Inc., where she was involved in field work measuring air, water and soil samples, as well as writing reports on their findings. Klein will be graduating with her bachelor’s in May 2017 and pursuing sustainability as a career.

Eric Kong, a senior from San Antonio, is studying water resources because of his love for nature and concern for the growing issues related to water resources in the world today. His professors have spurred Kong’s interest.

“The civil engineering program here is one of the best due to our professors’ passion for their work and their students,” he said. “They aren’t just teaching you the material, they are trying to show you why it matters. Our professors bring [civil engineering] alive to show the students that our work does affect people’s lives.”

Kong has been inspired by the passion professors have for their work and the effect it has on so many people. Kong began his academic career in electrical engineering, but transferred into civil engineering where he found his real passion.

Kong recently started an internship with AECOM, a global engineering firm. Kong will be working in environmental remediation, specifically wastewater treatment, water contamination and air pollution, to find unique solutions to these issues. Kong sees the future in civil engineering as a calling.

“We have a duty as civil engineers to protect the people,” he said.

Kong recently received his bachelor’s degree.

FORMER STUDENT SPOTLIGHTALBERTA L. BLAIR ‘83

FORMER STUDENT SPOTLIGHTALBERTA L. BLAIR ‘83

Alberta Blair ’83 is the director of Public Works for Dallas County. She directs countywide transportation, manages engineering design and construction of capital improvements and directs the acquisition of property as requested by the commissioners court.

Blair recently shared her wealth of experience with current civil

engineering students as a speaker at the Civil Engineering Professional Day held in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. She was also recognized as the Women in Transportation Society’s Woman of the Year for 2016 in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. Blair’s career has had no lack of exciting achievements, but those which she consider to be her greatest accomplishments are her most recent, including speaking at Professional Day to future civil engineers.

Growing up in Dallas, Blair found herself intrigued by the art and architecture of her city. From the architectural patterns of the neighborhoods she grew up in to the cultural influences of the various neighborhoods of Dallas, Blair was fascinated with the many facets of architecture and city planning.

These interests were only deepened on a high school trip to Europe, exposing Blair to the profound architectural history and the complexities of the public transit and transportation systems. These factors combined to shape Blair’s decision to study environmental design at Texas A&M. Through her internships and studies in environmental design, Blair’s interest turned toward civil engineering.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design, she continued her education entering into the Department of Civil Engineering.

In her time as an engineering student at Texas A&M in the 1980s, Blair was breaking new ground as a minority and a woman pushing the status quo of the culture of engineering at the time. It was a daunting task, and many times she was tempted to give up or consider another option, but she credits her professors and the other faculty and staff of the Department of Civil Engineering for encouraging her to continue and stay focused on her goal.

Although at the time there were few role models, if any, who shared Blair’s struggle as a minority and a woman in engineering, she found a haven and became very involved in the Black Awareness Society. Since graduating, Blair has continued to support and visit Texas A&M, not only to witness, but also to encourage and inspire a spirit of change to increase diversity and cultural awareness and representation throughout the university. It was through the department of civil engineering that she got the opportunity to intern with the City of Dallas Public Works Department.

“I was hooked and determined to continue in engineering and to become a professional engineer. There will continue to be a strong need for engineers to be more involved in the community and governmental affairs,” said Blair.

She sees a need for civil engineers to take initiative in the political process, even to be considered for city and governmental management roles. It is important for civil engineers to fill these roles in order to be involved in resolving major infrastructure issues. According to Blair, these things are crucial in order for civil engineers to become more effective in improving our society.


With a successful first year behind it, the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University hosted its second group of high school students for Camp BUILD, a project-based summer camp full of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) application and collaborative environments.

The weeklong camp aimed to equip each student with a newfound knowledge of the diversity of civil engineering, as well as an appreciation for what it is to work as a team pursuing solutions, innovation and creativity. Campers enjoyed seeing the variety of real-life problems that civil engineers aim to solve, particularly when given a chance to participate in their own experiments.

“Project-based learning is a highly effective approach, particularly for STEM education,” said Dr. Robin Autenrieth, department head. “You put students in the decision making position with a real-world challenge and encourage them to work out a solution with a realistic outcome. Added benefits are things we can’t teach them, like the value of collaboration, critical thinking and confidence.”

CAMP BUILD


Over the course of the week, students participated in a variety of hands-on experiments, tours, and competitions. They saw clean water dripping from a filter they built themselves, a truck smash into a guard rail at a crash test, one of the world’s best equipped labs to model coastal structures, the intricacies of building a stadium for 100,000 football fans and huge testing machines that are able to verify that the steel beams in that stadium actually can support the weight of all those fans.

“I really enjoyed learning about all the different areas of civil engineering and how they are applied to real world situations,” said Timothy Uzzell, a homeschooled junior who recently moved to Texas from the UAE.

For Camp BUILD 2016, we received over 95 applications from students in Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, California and Louisiana. Of those 95, 60 students are registered to attend the two sessions. Campers were reviewed based on their academic achievement, particularly those who have not had access to engineering in their schools. It was very important to bring to campus a group of highly qualified campers from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“The problems that civil engineers are currently solving, and will solve in the future, involve a diverse range of geographies, social issues, people, economic questions, historical precedents and environmental concerns,” said Dr. Kelly Brumbelow, associate professor and faculty adviser to the camp. “With that in mind, we need a civil engineering professional that has experienced and appreciates this richness, and we selected a group of campers that spans these ranges.”

“I’m glad I came. I’ve never met so many interesting people from all sorts of backgrounds. It’s just an amazing opportunity,” said Anthony Glenn, senior from Carver High School in Houston.

The 2014 and 2015 Camp BUILDs have resulted in recruiting some of the campers to the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M. Of the rising seniors who attended the two camps, 73 percent have been accepted into Texas A&M, and 90 percent of those are in or entering the College of Engineering.

“I really recommend you come to Camp BUILD because you meet people you never thought you’d be friends with, and you learn so much beyond engineering,” said junior Makysia Goodwin, of Sachse High School.

CAMP BUILD

2014: 30 campers

19/30 seniors accepted to A&M

17/19 in engineering

2015: 31 campers

14/15 seniors accepted to A&M

11/14 in engineering *Juniors in 2015 camp have yet to apply.

“You put students in the decision making position with a real-world challenge and encourage them to work out a solution with a realistic outcome. Added benefits are things we can’t teach them, like the value

of collaboration, critical thinking and confidence.”[ ]

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undergraduate spring magazine 2016

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