Navigating the ASCE Student Symposium: A Comprehensive Guide

The ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Student Symposium is a multifaceted event designed to challenge and inspire future civil engineers. It provides a platform for students to apply their knowledge, network with professionals, and engage in friendly competition. This guide will provide an overview of the symposium, its key components, and how students can make the most of this valuable experience.

Understanding the Symposium Structure

The ASCE Student Symposium encompasses a variety of events, each designed to test different skills and knowledge areas within civil engineering. These events often include competitions, workshops, and networking opportunities.

Competitions: These are a central feature of the symposium, offering students hands-on experience and a chance to showcase their abilities. Examples include the Concrete Canoe Competition, the Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition, and the 3D Printing Competition.
Workshops: These sessions provide opportunities for students to learn about new technologies, industry trends, and professional development skills.
Networking: The symposium provides a valuable platform for students to connect with practicing engineers, faculty members, and fellow students from other universities.

Key Competitions at the ASCE Student Symposium

Several competitions are typically held, each focusing on a different aspect of civil engineering.

ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition

The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition offers students a distinctive opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience. It allows them to test their skills in concrete mix designs and project management challenges, essential components of civil engineering.

Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition

The Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition presents participating students with real-world construction engineering challenges. Teams are tasked with devising solutions and communicating them via presentations to a panel of judges, mirroring the demands of professional practice.

Read also: Why Join ASCE as a Student?

ASCE 3D Printing Competition: Bridging the Future

The ASCE 3D Printing Competition: Bridging the Future promotes the application of 3D printing technology in the field of civil engineering, pushing students to explore innovative solutions for construction and infrastructure development.

Surveying Competition

This competition recognizes the importance of basic surveying principles to all civil engineering projects, emphasizing the foundational skills necessary for accurate site assessment and project layout. The educational and professional goals of this competition include a recognition of the importance of basic surveying principles to all civil engineering projects.

Sustainable Solutions Competition

The CE Computing Corporation (CECC) requests proposals for professional civil engineering services and sustainability consulting services to construct a new data center within the City of ASCE. The CECC board of directors has approved enhanced sustainability goals for the proposed data center, including using the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision as the primary sustainability framework.

Preparing for the Symposium

Effective preparation is crucial for a successful symposium experience. Here's a breakdown of key steps:

Understand the Rules: Carefully review the competition rules for each event you plan to participate in. Pay close attention to the Requests for Information (RFI) process, which allows student teams to ask questions about the rules and receive clarifications. Please take a moment to read the competition rules carefully. Each competition provides a “Requests for Information (RFI)” period so that student teams can ask questions about the rules. See the rules document for where and when to send RFIs as well as how to access the responses.
Form a Strong Team: Collaboration is key to success in many symposium events. Choose team members with diverse skills and a strong work ethic.
Practice and Refine: Dedicate ample time to practice your skills and refine your designs or presentations. Seek feedback from faculty advisors and experienced professionals.
Network and Engage: Take advantage of networking opportunities to connect with industry professionals and learn about potential career paths.
Seek Support: Utilize campus resource centers and organizations such as the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEED), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and ASCE for support and guidance. “Seek support in the communities available to you,” she said, pointing to campus resource centers and organizations such as CEED, NSBE and ASCE.

The Symposium Experience

The ASCE Student Symposium is more than just a competition; it's an immersive experience that fosters camaraderie, learning, and professional growth.

Events and Activities

Symposiums often include a variety of events and activities beyond the competitions themselves.

Welcome Tailgate: A social gathering to kick off the symposium, providing an opportunity for students and sponsors to connect in a relaxed setting. The event kicked off Thursday evening with a welcome tailgate hosted by our incredible industry sponsors-a heartfelt thank-you to each of them for making the symposium possible! Though rain forced us to relocate, the North Concourse of Memorial Stadium transformed into a spirited gathering space.
Field Events: Many competitions take place outdoors, providing a dynamic and engaging environment for participants and spectators alike. Friday’s events unfolded at Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex, nestled along the shores of Hartwell Lake.
Awards Banquet: A formal event to celebrate the achievements of the participating teams and individuals, featuring keynote speakers and recognition of sponsors. The symposium concluded with a celebratory Awards Banquet on Saturday night, held in the West End Zone Club of Memorial Stadium. The evening was full of Tiger pride and recognition, highlighted by keynote remarks from ASCE President-Elect Marsha Anderson Bomar, who inspired students and guests alike with her vision for the future of civil engineering. Throughout the night, sponsors and student teams were featured on the stadium’s jumbo tron, overlooking a football field temporarily transformed into a baseball diamond for the upcoming Savannah Bananas showcase.

The Importance of Community and Representation

The symposium provides a strong sense of community, motivating students to pursue careers in engineering and STEM fields. Organizations like NSBE play a crucial role in fostering this sense of belonging, particularly for underrepresented students. “Organizations like NSBE give students a sense of community and the motivation to pursue careers in engineering and STEM,” she said.

Learning from Setbacks

Even in competition, setbacks can be valuable learning experiences. For example, during a concrete canoe race, a dramatic sinking captured hearts as one paddler bailed while the other kept powering forward, demonstrating resilience and teamwork. And who could forget NC State’s “The Godfather”-a dramatic sinking captured hearts as one paddler bailed while the other kept powering forward.

The Benefits of Participating

Participating in the ASCE Student Symposium offers numerous benefits for aspiring civil engineers.

Hands-on Experience

The competitions provide invaluable hands-on experience in applying engineering principles to real-world problems. The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition provides students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on practical experience while testing their skills with concrete mix designs and project management challenges.

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Skill Development

Students develop critical skills in areas such as design, project management, teamwork, and communication. The Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition tasks participating students with several real-world construction engineering challenges to which teams will be asked to devise a solution and communicate it via presentation to a panel of judges.

Networking Opportunities

The symposium provides a platform for students to connect with practicing engineers, faculty members, and fellow students, expanding their professional network.

Career Advancement

Participation in the symposium can enhance a student's resume and demonstrate their commitment to the field, increasing their chances of securing internships and job opportunities.

Personal Growth

The challenges and experiences of the symposium foster personal growth, building confidence, resilience, and a passion for civil engineering.

Success Stories and Inspiration

The symposium has inspired many students to pursue successful careers in civil engineering. Gomaa-Mersal, for example, found her path to civil engineering through early exposure to STEM and the support of community college and university programs. Growing up in Torrance, California, Gomaa-Mersal gravitated toward science and math in middle school, where a career-finder quiz pointed to civil engineering. Her outlook changed after she enrolled in El Camino College, a public community college close to home. There, Gomaa-Mersal began succeeding in courses that had previously discouraged her. Gomaa-Mersal wanted to continue her education at a school with a strong engineering program while staying close to home, so transferring to UCLA became a clear goal. To quickly assimilate into her new academic home, Gomaa-Mersal lived on campus the first year in the UCLA Transfer Living Learning Community, where she instantly connected with other transfer students.

Her involvement in student organizations like NSBE and ASCE further solidified her commitment to the field. She also joined the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at UCLA. Gomaa-Mersal’s commitment to representation and public impact extends beyond campus and into her professional work. As a civil engineering intern in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Waterworks Division, Gomaa-Mersal conducts plan checks, reviewing engineering drawings for compliance with county waterworks standards. Looking ahead, Gomaa-Mersal says she hopes to work at a public agency as a civil or environmental engineer. She is also interested in teaching as a way of combining technical work and mentorship. With her own experience struggling in secondary school, it is also important to Gomaa-Mersal that she helps introduce younger students to STEM through outreach and mentorship. As co-chair for pre-college initiatives on the NSBE board, she is responsible for K-12 outreach efforts. Outside the classroom, she immersed herself in student organizations that aligned with her academic interests and her commitment to representation. “Organizations like NSBE give students a sense of community and the motivation to pursue careers in engineering and STEM,” she said. But as coursework became more challenging, engineering began to feel less attainable. “The camp itself was an amazing experience and exposed me to so many fun new experiences, but I struggled with some of the math and engineering concepts we learned,” she said.

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