USU Civil Engineering Students Excel in National Competitions

The Utah State University surveying team took fifth place overall in a national competition at Louisiana Tech earlier this summer.

Katie Smith, Asher Neitsch, Alyssa Gaither and Dallas Rodabough competed as part of the 35th annual American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition+. The surveying competition consisted of five events, including a presentation and various field tasks to assess the team's technical skills.

According to Smith, the competition provided a unique learning experience for the team.

“I had a fantastic time talking to the judges and the rules committee to learn more about land surveying opportunities and what kinds of projects professionals work on,” she said.

The team’s success in the national competition is especially exciting after the unexpected challenges they ran into during the regional competition in Las Vegas earlier in the year. Despite the batteries in their instruments dying and needing to rely on more basic equipment, they successfully placed first at the regional event and qualified for the national competition.

“By overcoming the obstacles encountered at the regional competition, they demonstrated the engineering skills we want them to gain from their courses,” said Austin Ball, an assistant professor of Civil Engineering and the team’s advisor. “They don't need to be spoon-fed a process to complete specific tasks; instead, they’ve learned to use their problem-solving skills to conceive their own solutions to unexpected problems. They committed many hours to prepare for this competition and truly deserve this recognition.”

Civil engineering students on the steel bridge team also competed nationally this year. The American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition took place over Memorial Day Weekend at Virginia Tech. USU’s team, consisting of Kaden Bodily, Bryan Beard, Bronson Dean, Jake Rowlan and Isaac Hilton, placed 26th.