A group of active, networking, career-centered civil engineering students are the University of Arkansas chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
We are an organization comprised of civil engineering students who like to have an active education and be involved on and around campus. Above all else, it is our goal to keep engineering students engaged and interacting with the professional world, according to the University of Arkansas ASCE website.
“Anyone can join ASCE. We have frequent meetings, food, a chance to chat with upperclassmen and faculty members,” said Michael Howland, University of Arkansas ASCE President. “We’re focusing on getting more freshmen and faculty involvement.
Among the group’s novel features are a few student representatives for outreach: one for each level of college student.
“We have freshman representatives that cater to other freshmen, trying to get them involved,” he said, also explaining that officer representatives do the same for sophomores, juniors and seniors .
Howland joined the group as a sophomore when an older member told him about ASCE. “I started out as a membership chairman,” he said. “I was excited about getting involved.”
Events
ASCE organizes multiple group events, including an annual trip to the ASCE Mid-Continent Conference, which will take place April 27 in Manhattan, Kansas. The University of Arkansas team will compete with teams from Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois in the concrete canoe competition, steel bridge competition, GeoTech walls competition and technical papers.
“We meet with the department head for event scheduling and planning for guest speakers,” Howland said. “Every other week we try to have a social event between times of work,” that are often picnics and softball games, typically with teams of undergraduate students versus graduate students.
ASCE works with the University of Arkansas Civil Engineering Department to bring relevant, informative speakers to students.
“In the fall, we had a speaker from the Navy, a civil engineer who has worked in war zones, Lieutenant Thacker,” Howland said. “We also helped with bringing in the speaker from Mack-Blackwell that talked about the Panama Canal.”
ASCE service projects include community clean up-- in the Agri-Park and most recently, a Clabber Creak clean-up on April 2 with National Society of Black Engineers and Chi Epsilon.
Officers
This year’s officers are Michael Howland, President; Danny Hernandez, Vice President; Christian McGuire, Treasurer; Cary Beth Lipscomb, Secretary; Ryan Hansen, Membership Chair; Sean Salazar, Competitions Chair; Katie Dunn, Senior Representative; Tyler Avery and Clint Engle, Junior Representatives; Sadie Smith and Chase Henrichs, Sophomore Representatives and Christine McAlpine, Freshman Representative.
Secretary Cary Lipscomb, a sophomore civil engineering student and heard about ASCE through civil engineering upperclassmen.
“It sounded like a good opportunity to gain more hands-on experience as an engineer as well as socialize and learn from other civils,” she said.
“My main responsibility is organization. I keep records of the agenda and discussions, making notes of upcoming events and help with the organization of responsibilities as best as possible.”
Upcoming events for the end of the semester include barbeque and movie nights.
“One of my favorite aspects of ASCE is the competitions we compete in…it’s a huge convention with both educational and social aspects. This is my first year to go, but I'm looking forward to it from what I have heard about it in past years.”
Unlike other RSOs, the national conference fees aren’t a simple $20-30 for official membership or travel expenses.
Instead, the group creates quality products that provides students with valuable professional development.
The ASCE national conference is an annual series of competitions for chapters, including events in concrete canoe building/racing, steel bridge building, geo-wall, and a technical paper writing section. Teams competing must design and build within ASCE requirements.
“We usually need about $10,000 in supplies,” Howland said. “We get donations from Afco Steel in Little Rock. Sometimes they donate or write a check, and we give it back to them later.”
Christian McGuire, ASCE Treasurer, joined the group as a sophomore and coordinates ASCE meetings and travel logistics.
“I look forward to seeing other ASCE chapters at the conference and their different approaches to each competition,” he said.
McGuire joined ASCE because he saw it as a good place to develop some leadership skills and network with classmates. “It is always nice to spend time with classmates in a setting other than the classroom.”
“My favorite part of the group is how close this ASCE chapter is with all the professors,” he said. “Our professors really take an interest in the members of ASCE.”
Adviser Dr. Kevin Hall
“Student chapters of professional associations can be vital to the total educational experience of a student – helping prepare the student for active participation in the profession,” said Dr. Hall.
“It also provides a great outlet for enjoying what we do without worrying about tests, assignments, and grades.”
Howland suggested that freshmen civil engineering students “don’t just get involved, get involved to help out.”
Contact us
For more information about the American Society of Civil Engineers, visit the national website asce.uark.edu, the U of A chapter Facebook page: “ASCE- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville” or call the chapter at 479-575-4954.
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