SLU’s ASCE Student Chapter Comes in Second Overall at Mid-America Symposium
Saint Louis University’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) participated in the ASCE Mid-America Student Symposium in Manhattan, Kansas on April 13-15.
SLU ASCE was recognized as the second-best team in the overall competition and earned first or second place in six of the seven competitions the chapter participated in, including:
- UESI Surveying competition – First place
- Innovation – First place
- Fundamentals of Engineering quiz bowl competition – First place
- T-shirt design – First place
- First- and second-year design competition – Second place
- Concrete bowling ball competition – Second place
The UESI surveying team moves on to the national competition, which will be hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in June.
“First and foremost, this is a well-deserved recognition of our students’ skills – they are highly motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable and technically competent, work well together and are problem solvers,” said Jalil Kianfar, Ph.D., associate professor of civil engineering and chapter advisor since 2021. “The civil engineering program focuses on hands-on and experiential learning and this is reflected in our student achievements.”
Mid-America Student Symposium
The Mid-America Symposium included 16 civil engineering programs from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. SLU finished second overall behind Kansas State University.
This is SLU’s highest finish to date in the competition.
“This is a truly impressive performance,” said Scott Duellman, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Science and Engineering. “This is solid evidence of the drive and ingenuity of our students and the quality of our faculty.”
The team, led by junior civil engineering students Laura Gray and Steven Lum, began preparing for the conference last fall. The conference co-chairs were involved in fundraising, competition selection, registration, scheduling, travel, and other details over the past six months.
“Attending the 2023 ASCE Mid-America Student Symposium has been one of my best memories and proudest moments during my time at Saint Louis University,” Gray said. “Steven and I, along with our leadership team, chapter advisor, and competition advisors worked extremely hard to ensure the success of our chapter. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to showcase my passion for civil engineering and hopefully inspire more people to attend in the future.”
SLU ASCE activities go beyond participating in academic competitions. The student organization hosts various events, including networking with the St. Louis Chapter of ASCE Younger Members Group. In addition to networking opportunities, the group also looks for fun ways to highlight civil engineering, including a gingerbread building competition and social events.
The 2024 Mid-America student symposium will be held at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.