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Building Experience

Students Develop Real-World Design for UT Tyler College of Engineering

Design winners with checks Students from the UT Tyler College of Engineering’s civil engineering and construction management departments recently participated in an on-campus competition while gaining practical experience in the process.

The project was a joint effort between the department’s honor societies to simulate a real-world design exercise. Their task? To create a realistic design for a new outdoor COE pavilion that is being considered for actual construction. Five teams of a mix of construction management and civil engineering students competed for the top two cash prizes.

First place team members earning a $700 cash prize were:

Hunter Busby of Forney
Luisa Cardona Suarez of Longview
Keith Long of Murphy
Arnaud Muhire of Tyler
Jason Tolbert of Tyler

Second place team members earning a $300 cash price were:

Samantha Bast of Pleasanton
Scott Kilgo of Whitehouse
Gemma Lunardi of Porter
Logan Proffer of Tyler
Kierstin Rosipal of Carrolton

Dr. Michael McGinnis, McNally Professor of Civil Engineering and associate dean, was impressed with the drive and grit demonstrated by the winning teams.

“Projects like this allow us strong platforms to continue our emphasis on the integration of critical ’soft’ skills, such as communication, motivation and professionalism, into the theoretical and technical aspects of engineering education,” he said. “I enjoyed watching everyone’s journey as they interacted with a diverse group of working professionals, and the mentors and judges were very impressed with the students’ performance.”

Lecturer in construction management Joe Boylan and Dr. Mike Gangone, assistant professor of civil engineering, led the project. Mentors from several local engineering firms also assisted the students with their designs, including Bryan Rossman and Chasity Busby from Adams Engineering; Shannon McCown from McCown Engineering; Anwar Kalifa from Pyramid Homes; Steve Fitzpatrick and Mary Alice Guidry from Fitzpatrick Architects; and Andy Krause, UT Tyler director of facilities management. Area field professionals served as judges.

McGinnis said COE officials are exploring future, on-campus design challenges. With UT Tyler president’s approval, University Advancement could approach potential donors to secure funding for construction, according to Dr. Javier Kypuros, dean of the College of Engineering.

The winning pavilion design, if approved and secured accordingly, will be built on the Tyler campus, just east of the Ratliff Building–South, Kypuros said.

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