Civil and construction engineering news
Civil and construction engineering cadets had a busy spring semester and carried the momentum into the summer.
The Citadel hosted the annual American Society of Civil Engineers Carolinas Conference in April, with 325 students attending from North and South Carolina and participating in various competitions. Citadel students placed second in the championship. Additionally, The Citadel placed first in geotechnical design, third in transportation design and third in surveying, extending the college record to 16 podium finishes in 23 years, including six conference championships and seven national competitions.
Students presented their capstone projects for the Designing Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure for Charleston Executive Airport (JZI) on May 2. Nine teams, including 55 civil/construction engineering students from The Citadel, completed design-build projects and presented recommendations to a panel of aviation experts to determine airfield and terminal infrastructure needed to accommodate eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) mobility infrastructure. Winners of the 2023 Bert Booth Williams Award were Ian Bradbury, Cameron Cole, Ashley James, Noah Pearson, Eli Rodriguez, Charles Hopkins, Rudy Kirven, Blayne Pennartz, Zachery Campbell, Tromaine Cobbs, Dalton Cross, Randall Harville and Andrew Pickens.
Five cadets and one veteran student traveled to the ASCE/AISC Student Steel Bridge National Competition in San Diego in June, where they fabricated and assembled a scale-model steel bridge to span 20 feet and bear 2,500 pounds. Representing The Citadel were the members of the 2023-2024 Steel Bridge Team: Cadets Houston Palmiter, Luke Wiggins, Sullivan Watkins, Sam LaFrage, Mark Clement and veteran student Omar Tactuck.
Jacob Perkins, a recent civil engineering graduate, was chosen to represent South Carolina in the International Highway Engineering Exchange Program student competition based on his abstract “Advanced Air Mobility Effects on South Carolina Highway Infrastructure.” The competition will take place in October in Salt Lake City.
In June, Cadets Mary Coastal Watkins and Jackson Turner traveled to Platteville, Wisconsin, for the 36th Annual Concrete Canoe National Competition. The three-day event included students from 20 colleges and universities. Watkins, along with Cadet Thomas Aycock and other students, will lead The Citadel 2023-2024 Concrete Canoe team.