The Construction Engineering Management (CEM) Program at Clarkson University once again showcased its excellence in the field of construction engineering at the 37th Annual Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regions 6 & 7 Student Competition. Hosted at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada, from February 7 to 10, the event attracted top-tier talent from universities across the nation.
Clarkson’s participation in this prestigious competition, through students in its Construction Engineering Management Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED) Team, highlights its commitment to nurturing future leaders in the field. Among the standout achievements was the remarkable performance of the student teams, who demonstrated exceptional teamwork, presentation skills, and a drive for excellence.
In the Preconstruction category, sponsored by PCL Construction, Clarkson’s student team performed very well. Although the team did not place in the top 3, their efforts were complimented by the staff of PCL Construction.
“Your team did great and we enjoyed their participation and approach,” noted Ally Forster from PCL Construction.
“The Clarkson team has a lot to be proud of, and we very much enjoyed working with the student team,” remarked Daniel Brown, Sr. Project Manager at PCL Construction.
Led by Clarkson Engineering & Management senior, Gracie Girard, the team showcased ability to tackle a complex project that involved real-time renovations of the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angele. Competing against opponents from renowned institutions including Cal Poly, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, University of California and nine other collegiate teams from across the country.
In the Project Management category, sponsored by DPR Construction, the Clarkson Project Management team, led by Civil Engineering senior and Ignite Presidential Fellow, Shazoi Hall, also performed at a very high level.
This team had to review complicated contracts, budgets, schedules and create processes and define means and methods to build a facility and install flight simulators in Florida. The five simulator packages alone were valued at $20 million each and had to be carefully placed on precisely constructed foundations within the facility.
The Project Management team also performed very well with many accolades from construction industry professionals. This category consisted of 17 of the top engineering universities in the country, including Arizona State University, Boise State University, Cal Poly, Brigham Young University, University of California, Iowa State University, and a collaboration of the University of Denver and Dublin Technical University of Dublin Ireland.
“There were fractions of a point separating the scores,” said one DPR judge.
“The level of competition was unprecedented,” said another DPR judge.
“We are immensely proud of our students’ achievements at the ASC Regions 6 & 7 Student Competition,” said Randy VanBrocklin ‘90, CEM Adjunct Professor at Clarkson University. “Their success reflects the dedication and hard work they’ve put into honing their skills in construction engineering and management. The problem statement that the teams worked on were extremely challenging and were riddled with change orders throughout the competition.”
VanBrocklin played a pivotal role as coach for both teams, guiding them towards success. Supported by faculty members like CEM Director, Erik Backus, along with alumni such as Sean Donelly ‘22 and Haley Meshcon ’22 who served as guest judges in the preparation phase, the students received great mentorship and guidance throughout their journey.
Clarkson’s participation in various problem categories, including Preconstruction and Project Management, highlights the CEM program’s comprehensive approach to preparing students for real-world challenges in the construction industry.
Notably, Jacob Morrill, a non-matriculated Clarkson student and a current senior from Edwards-Knox Central School, showed his talent while competing as an alternate in the Preconstruction team, really emphasizing the CEM programs commitment to nurturing emerging talent.
“We had a last minute opening for an alternate for the competition, and we thought it would be great to give this opportunity to a soon-to-be Clarkson student that already had decided construction was for them,” Backus said. “So we reached out to local community partners for someone that would represent their school and Clarkson well. Jacob was in one of our courses as a talented and motivated non-matriculated student and made the perfect choice.”
Alternates for the primary teams are put into a pool and randomized to compete in their own competition category where they can meet students from across the nation and learn how to walk the proverbial gauntlet that is part of the Construction Engineering Management SPEED team efforts.
As Clarkson University continues to excel on the national stage, its Construction Engineering Management Program reaffirms its position as a source of excellence in construction education.
