Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaofeng Wu, Georgia Institute of Technology; David Frost

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

mind mapping in engaging youngstudents planning their career paths. The use of concept mapping has long been recognized as aneffective tool for bridging knowledge gaps and promoting a deeper understanding of topics innumerous other fields. It benefits from being a highly active approach to engaging individuals incontemplating and discussing opportunities and challenges. In contrast, many career guidanceactivities are either based on large group sessions listening to speakers or else one on onesessions with career counselors using structured approaches and thus may often be quite passivein format. The authors are interested in exploring the use of cooperative mind mapping byapplying it to engage K-12 audiences, fostering early interest in

Conference Session

Student Services & Supports

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maya Denton, The University of Oklahoma; Dominique Pittenger

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Navigate the Search for Full-Time EmploymentThe purpose of an engineering education is to prepare students for the profession; yet minimalresearch focuses on the process students undertake to find career placement. Given the licensurerequirements in civil engineering, the first post-college job may be particularly important forcivil engineering majors. We use social cognitive career theory as a theoretical framework,focusing on the job search as a contextual influence that moderates choice goals and choiceactions. We examined the following research questions: 1. What barriers and challenges do students encounter during the search for full-time employment? 2. How do students navigate through such barriers and challenges in the job search

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandeep Langar, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Amani Qasrawi, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Tulio Sulbaran, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Engineering at Al Balqa Applied University in Jordan and Construction Science and Management at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Throughout her academic career, she has been involved in research and teaching. She is working as a Graduate Research Assistant and Graduate Teacher Assistant at UTSA.Dr. Tulio Sulbaran, The University of Texas at San Antonio He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineer from Georgia Institute of Technology with concentration in Construction Management with a minor in Computer Engineering and strong statistical background. He has over 8 years of work experience in the A/E/C (Archite ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025Transforming Science, Technology

Conference Session

Self-Efficacy & Mindset

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ghina Absi, Vanderbilt University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

navigatetheoretical math content that could lead otherwise to alienation from STEM. The project has anEntrepreneurial Mindset Learning (EML) objective as well as an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI) application. Civil Engineering as a career is currently in high demand [1] to cater for our ailing infrastructureand design for a sustainable and innovative future for our planet. This profession has an extensiveimpact on society and the global environment [2]. It is primordial for us to train ethical and innovativebudding engineers to cater for the need of our communities and environments and design the cities ofthe future. It has been shown that students who are exposed to STEM before college have a greaterchance of selecting engineering as a major, and

Conference Session

Broadening Participation in Civil Engineering

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew L Gillen, Northeastern University; Cassandra J McCall, Utah State University; Gisele Bury, Northeastern University; Logan Andrew Perry, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

University (USU). Her research focuses on the intersections of disability, identity formation, and culture and uses anti-ableist approaches to enhance universal access for students with disabilities in STEM, particularly in engineering. At USU, she serves as the Co-Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Transition Services. In 2024, Dr. McCall received a National Science Foundation CAREER grant to identify systemic opportunities for increasing the participation of people with disabilities in engineering. Her award-winning publications have been recognized by leading engineering education research journals at both national and international levels. Dr. McCall has led several workshops promoting the inclusion of

Conference Session

Student Services & Supports

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Hopkinson, West Virginia University; Lynnette Michaluk, West Virginia University; Lizzie Santiago, West Virginia University; Aimee Morewood, West Virginia University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

items of STEM-SPSI were updated from a STEM to anengineering perspective when needed. Variables included engineering identity, academicadvising support, academic peer support, faculty support, engineering faculty connections,engineering peer connections, out-of-class engagement, engineering career development, andgeneral career development (Table 1). Responses were recorded on a six-point scale (1 = Doesnot apply to me; 2 = Completely disagree, 3 = Disagree; 4 = Neither agree nor disagree; 5 =Agree, 6 = Completely agree).The final survey was given online and administered through Qualtrics. West Virginia UniversityInstitutional Review Board (WVU IRB) approval is on file. To encourage participation andcompletion by undergraduate civil engineering

Conference Session

Civil Engineering & Leadership Division Joint Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Pickenpaugh PE, United States Air Force Academy; Owen Sedej P.E., United States Air Force Academy; Brad Wambeke P.E., United States Air Force Academy; Joseph Pickenpaugh PE, PMP, NORAD and USNORTHCOM J4

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL), Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD)

-national missions through infrastructure planning, posture development, and contingency operations across North America. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, along with master’s degrees in Engineering Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology and Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. Throughout his career, he has led engineering, operations, and emergency services teams across assignments in the United States, Qatar, Honduras, and the Republic of Korea. Lt Col Pickenpaugh is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and a lifetime member of the Society of American Military Engineers. His assignments have included joint

Conference Session

Effective Teaching Potpourri

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shinae Jang, University of Connecticut; Christa L. Taylor, University of Connecticut

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

, and faculty career fellow. Dr. Jang’s research interests include smart structures, structural health monitoring, wireless sensor networks, and engineering education. She has taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses including Statics, Structural Analysis, Senior Design, Structural Health Monitoring and Sensors, and others. Dr. Jang is the recipient of the 2021 Emerging Leader Fellow Award from the ASEE Civil Engineering Division (CIV), the 2021 Distinguished Engineering Educator Award from UConn, and the 2018 Civil Engineering Educator of the Year award from the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers. She has served as the ASEE CIV Newsletter Editor since 2021 and is a registered Professional Engineer of

Conference Session

Focus on the First Year

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Haas, Georgia Institute of Technology; Adjo A Amekudzi-Kennedy, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jennifer Kaiser, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

infrastructure decision making to promote sustainable development. She studies complex real-world systems and develops infrastructure decision support systemJennifer Kaiser, Georgia Institute of Technology ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Exploring Civil and Environmental Engineering for First-Year StudentsAbstractFirst-year undergraduate students who are required to select a major during the application processoften times have a poor understanding of the topics and the breadth of possible career paths withintheir selected major. In addition, our civil and environmental engineering (CEE) curriculum didnot provide meaningful engagement for the students until the end of their second year at theinstitute

Conference Session

Civil Engineering & Leadership Division Joint Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Juan M Cruz, Rowan University; Michael Venuto, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL), Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD)

Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), 73% ofengineering firms say the biggest concern is continued upward pressure on wages for new hires[1]. With this upward pressure, firms expect new graduates to immediately contribute to remaincompetitive. We interviewed CE leaders in the transportation infrastructure field about the currentstate of readiness of new graduate hires. They explained their expectations to be effective in theprofession and build a career that propels solutions to infrastructure challenges. The needs oftoday may not be the same needs of the past as the civil engineering consultant industry may bechanging more rapidly than academia. It is conceivable that the core elements have not changedbut there may have been a change

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Quinn Walsh PE, SE, University of Notre Dame; Eric Horvath, University of Notre Dame; James Edward Alleman; Brian J Smith P.E., University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

to the case study capstone course represent an apprenticeship-style learningexperience historically associated with construction trades. Thus, the relevance of this study tothe civil engineering community applies to both academics and professionals as the measuredoutcomes due to changes made in the case study capstone course represent “real-world” early-career impacts on students and their employers. Senior capstone is an excellent forum to measurethe effects of course changes since most students in this program enter the workforce almostimmediately after the completion of the capstone, thus providing some control to the experiment.Provisional conclusions from the measured outcomes include improved student experience inCIF surveys, improved

Conference Session

Student Services & Supports

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seema C Shah-Fairbank P.E., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Eric Steward, University of South Alabama; Nelson Román Gómez-Torres, The University of Texas at Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Professional Development, StudentOrganizationsIntroductionStudent chapters established by professional societies, like the American Society of CivilEngineers (ASCE), provide opportunities for students to network with industry professionals,gain exposure to various career options, develop leadership skills, and enhance their professionaldevelopment beyond the academic experience. These activities collectively prepare students for asmoother transition into their professional careers after graduation. ASCE, established in 1852, isthe oldest professional engineering society in the United States [1]. ASCE operates under acollection of volunteers associated with local or regional professional younger membergroups/forums, branches, and sections that oversee

Conference Session

Focus on the First Year

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angel Ari Perez-Mejia, Quinnipiac University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

content (e.g. economics, ethics) and skills (e.g. writing, oral presentations) that are usefuland necessary for both personal and professional development. However, students can often seethese courses as not useful or unrelated to their future careers. In this study, a first semestercourse in Civil Engineering was designed and delivered to make deliberate and clear theconnections between the general education portion of the curriculum and students’ future careersas civil engineers. An existing instrument was adapted to measure student aptitudes towardsdifferent skills and knowledge typically presented in general education courses and given to thestudent pre and post instruction, revealing statistically meaningful increases in the

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Bunt, University of New Mexico; Anjali Mulchandani, University of New Mexico

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

at syllabi from the last 40 years at different Universities. We exploredifferences in the material included in structures focused classes for both engineers andarchitects and discuss the potential implications of these separate trainings on their careers andcollaborations in the respective professions over time. While we acknowledge the reasons forseparating engineering and architecture education, we speculate on ways to integrate aspects ofbuilding structures education. By being critical of past pedagogies, we can make informedchanges in future teaching endeavorsCONTEXTIn our analysis, we consider the contexts of syllabi in coursework and briefly summarize howengineering and architecture professions split into their own disciplines. The

Conference Session

Civil Engineering & Leadership Division Joint Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Binita Acharya, Colorado State University; Rebecca A Atadero P.E., Colorado State University; Mehmet Egemen Ozbek; Fawzi Khalife, Colorado State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL), Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD)

came from various majors, includingConstruction Management (47%), Civil Engineering (34%), Environmental Engineering (16%),and other disciplines (3%).The survey revealed that students rated the importance of equity in their future careers at anaverage of 3.81 out of 5, indicating moderate to high awareness of its significance. In contrast,the industry’s performance in implementing equity was perceived as only moderate, with anaverage rating of 3.27 out of 5. This highlights a gap between the perceived importance of equityand its practical integration within the industry.Students showed the greatest interest in learning about the relationship between equity andsustainability (52%) and equity in sustainability rating systems (51%). Other topics

Conference Session

Games & Competitions for Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seyed Mohammad Seyed Ardakani P.E., Ohio Northern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

. This allows them to get real hands-on experience, expand their network, and buildlasting friendships with fellow students, faculty members, and mentors, which could lead tofuture career opportunities. Additionally, these teams provide an ideal environment for studentsto learn and practice leadership skills. Project managers work with team members to create abudget plan, secure funding, manage finances, establish work schedules, train less-experiencedmembers, and coordinate with team officers, advisors, administrators, suppliers, and sponsors toobtain the necessary resources and successfully deliver the final product [1] - [2]. Since studentsvoluntarily join competition teams, this provides a unique opportunity for the study ofengineering

Conference Session

The Real World-Project-Based & Experiential Learning

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jose Capa Salinas, University of St. Thomas; Manuel Salmeron, Purdue University; Herta Montoya, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Morgan R Broberg, University of Arkansas; Shivam Sharma, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Hyewon Hailey Seo, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Jorge Rojas, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University, U.S.

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

course. Pre- and post-course surveyswere administered at the beginning and end of the course, and anonymous feedback surveyswere administered after the course concluded. Together, these tools were used to quantify if theexperiential learning activities employed resulted in students meeting course outcomes like beinginterested in civil engineering as a career, developing a methodology for approachingengineering problems, and knowing technologies that could be used in cities of the future.The assessment questions used are listed in Table 1. Questions 1-5 were on a Likert scale fromstrongly disagree to strongly agree, while questions 6 and 7 were open-ended. Answers fromquestions 1-5 were assigned numeric values from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramez Hajj, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

undergraduate students fromunderrepresented groups. The desired outcome of this project is to generate interest among theseundergraduate students to explore careers and graduate study in the field of pavementengineering. Another outcome is to expose students in general to the research process and how toget involved in undergraduate research and later apply to graduate school. In addition, we hope toprovide a framework for a low barrier to entry competition which can be replicated in otherregions of the country but does not require participating universities to have extensive laboratoryor computational facilities. In fact, this framework may be replicable at the high school level infuture competitions. This paper presents a literature review on the

Conference Session

The Real World-Project-Based & Experiential Learning

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seamus F Freyne P.E., Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

managementprofessionals to give students realistic interpretations of various careers and previewsof the work world that exists today.3 The prerecorded interviews were put on aYouTube channel where students could consume the content on demand.At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, first year engineering students interviewedprofessional engineers as part of a technical communications course.4 Students werefree to choose an interview subject or were assigned one. The one on one interviewswere conducted in person or online, and both methods were equally beneficial.Students generally found the interviews straightforward and easy to do. The articledid not state what questions were asked, how many, and who conceived them.Interview transcripts were shared with the

Conference Session

Sustainability & Civil Engineering

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Doyle, Santa Clara University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

engineering careers? The hypothesis is the project, focused on asustainability problem on campus, will improve self-efficacy and interest in programming,especially for underrepresented students. To test this, a multistep project was introduced into arequired sophomore level course for civil engineers. The impact of the project is assessed usedmixed method analysis using data from surveys and student reflections.2. MethodsThe CourseOne section of Computer Applications for Civil Engineers is offered each year and is a requiredcourse for sophomore Civil Engineering Students at Santa Clara University, a midsize, primarilyundergraduate private university. The course introduces civil engineering students to computerprogramming through MATLAB with an

Conference Session

ABET, PE, and CEBOK

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brock E. Barry P.E., United States Military Academy; Scott R Hamilton P.E., York College of Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Zofia Bialek PE; Leslie Nolen, American Society of Civil Engineers

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

United States Military Academy, West Point. He is a retired US Army Corps of Engineers officer who has had assignments in the US, Germany, Korea, and Afghanistan. During his military career he spent over 10 years on the faculty at the US Military Academy at West Point teaching civil engineering. He also served as the Director, Graduate Professional Development at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering. He is the recipient of the 2021 NSPE Engineering Education Excellence Award and the 2019 ASCE Thomas A Lenox ExCEEd Leadership Award.Mrs. Elizabeth Zofia Bialek PE Elizabeth Bialek is a member of the ASCE Committee on Developing Leaders and a practicing Civil Engineer with 30 years of experience. She is

Conference Session

Civil Engineering & Leadership Division Joint Session

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joel Sloan, U.S. Air Force Academy; Scott R Hamilton P.E., York College of Pennsylvania; Norb Delatte, Oklahoma State University; Tanya Kunberger P.E., University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Audra N. Morse P.E., Michigan Technological University; David A Saftner, University of Minnesota Duluth; Camilla M. Saviz P.E., University of the Pacific

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL), Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD)

engineering, column-supported embankments, and engineering education.Dr. Scott R Hamilton P.E., York College of Pennsylvania Scott Hamilton is a Professor of Civil Engineering at York College of Pennsylvania. He is a registered Professional Engineer and has both a MS and PhD in civil engineering and a Masters in engineering management from Stanford University and a BS from the United States Military Academy, West Point. He is a retired US Army Corps of Engineers officer who has had assignments in the US, Germany, Korea, and Afghanistan. During his military career he spent over 10 years on the faculty at the US Military Academy at West Point teaching civil engineering. He also served as the Director, Graduate

Conference Session

Games & Competitions for Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benjamin Z. Dymond, Northern Arizona University; Matthew K Swenty P.E., Virginia Military Institute

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

a competitive spirit, are highly motivatedto compete against other students and universities, and benefit from adding competitions as partof their education [13, 20, 12].Because of the open-ended problem statements in competitions, these projects may be used inclasses or as part of an engineering curriculum. The student learning objectives, and morespecifically CE program criteria for ABET, may be connected to student competitions. Someuniversities even implement student competitions in capstone-style or independent study coursesto expose students to teamwork, communication skills, and application of design knowledge [10,21]. Many of these skills are desired by industry and help students become career-ready [22].Equipping graduates for the

Conference Session

Broadening Participation in Civil Engineering

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bin (Brenda) Zhou, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

explanations of how EJIcould be related to the engineering code of ethics. In addition, course enrichment activities areintentionally built into this EJI-designated course so students can listen to and learn fromindustry practitioners. For example, in the spring of 2023, a panel of female constructionprofessionals discussed their career paths, unique challenges, and interesting projects. In thespring of 2024, a group of Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) engineerspresented a few highway projects they worked on and discussed how CTDOT paid moreattention to EJI. Such course designs ensure various methods of instruction, assessment, andassignment types, complementing the EJI course content. Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Capstone Showcase

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anahid Behrouzi, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Brayden A Martinez EIT, Miyamoto International; William R Adam, Buro Happold

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Conference Session

Civil Engineering in the Age of AI

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Allen C Estes, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Peter Laursen, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

academiccommunity as to whether this new technology should be embraced or banned from theclassroom. As it has become more apparent that this transformational technology will becomean increasingly important part of our world, there is an obligation to introduce students to itscapabilities and prepare students for the career opportunities it presents. Slimi [5] argues thatapplying AI in higher education should be a requirement for all higher institutions. The listedcaveats are that academic faculty must be well trained in using AI to equip learners with therequired skills to face future career challenges. In addition, faculty must highlight ethics andpotential consequences to humanity.Khalifa and Albadaway [6] specifically addressed the importance of

Conference Session

Curricular & Course Design

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adjo A Amekudzi-Kennedy, Georgia Institute of Technology; Donald Webster, Georgia Institute of Technology; Ellen Zerbe, Georgia Institute of Technology; Susan E Burns P.E., Georgia Institute of Technology; Michael Hunter, Georgia Institute of Technology; Julia Melkers, Arizona State University; Terry Blum, Georgia Institute of Technology; Kevin Haas, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Foundation Professor of Public Policy and Management in the School of Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Organization Research and Design (CORD). Her research portfolio addresses the careers, research capacity and outcomes of academic scientific and other knowledge-based professions. Her work has been funding by the U.S. NSF, NIH and several foundations. Dr. Melkers has extensive experience of more than two decades in advising and evaluating large interdisciplinary scientific teams. She is the U.S. co-editor of the Journal of Research Evaluation (Oxford University Publishers). She holds an honorary visiting appointment at INGENIO [CSIC], University Polytechnic Valencia, Spain, and she participated in the

Conference Session

The Real World-Project-Based & Experiential Learning

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mojtaba Naseri, Morgan State University; Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun, Morgan State University; Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E., Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

career, Olaitan has attended several in-persons and virtual conferences and workshop, and at some of them, made presentation on findings on air pollution, waste water reuse, and heavy metal contamination.Dr. Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E., Morgan State University Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty in 2010. He is the director of the sustainable infrastructure development, smart innovation and resilient engineering lab and the director of undergraduate programs in the department of civil engineering at Morgan State University. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 WIP: Integrating Smart City Concepts in Civil

Conference Session

Sustainability & Civil Engineering

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dalya Ismael, Old Dominion University; Vukica M. Jovanovic, Old Dominion University; Murat Kuzlu, Old Dominion University; Charles Lowe, Old Dominion University; Lisa Bosman, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

learning enhances student engagementand understanding of complex topics, such as sustainability [22,23]. The recognition of terms like"systems" and "thinking" further demonstrates the impact of the ST module, as studentsacknowledged the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and technological systems [24].The responses also indicate that students gained confidence in applying sustainability concepts totheir future careers, as evidenced by the inclusion of terms such as "quality," "improve," and"details." These findings align with the qualitative themes identified, such as RecognizingValue and Student Efficacy, reinforcing that the course effectively bridged theoretical knowledgewith practical applications.From an instructor's perspective

Conference Session

Focus on the First Year

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brock E. Barry P.E., United States Military Academy; Aaron T Hill Jr. P.E., United States Military Academy; Kevin Taylor Scruggs

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

that helped them form their academicmajor decision. Many of those students spoke about experiences in high school, a handful spokeabout middle school experiences, and one student even claimed to have made up his mind on thecivil engineering major as early as elementary school. The student with the elementary schooldecision stated: “My initial exposure to civil engineering, and likely my main motivation for choosing it began in elementary school. My mother (who works for the NCDOT) would come to my school’s career days and set up her North Carolina Department of Transportation booth, where she would bring asphalt and concrete samples and talk about what she did. I used to be proud to have her there, and I looked up