UALR Civil and Construction Engineering Student on Winning Team in Boston
August 2, 2016
Civil and construction engineering student Grant A. Lewis represented UALR at the Construction Institute’s annual Student Days program this summer. Student Days is sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and this year’s program was held in Boston, Massachusetts. Approximately 30 students from across the U.S. were selected, based on a competitive application process. This is the third year in a row that at least one civil and construction engineering student from UALR has been invited to Student Days.
The main event in Student Days is a multi-day civil and construction engineering competition, in which student teams design a project and then create a bid package including a detailed cost estimate for construction. On the final day, each team makes a presentation to the judges. This year’s project was a pedestrian bridge. Lewis and his five teammates (below) won this year’s competition.
In addition to the team competition, the students met engineers working in industry and government, heard professional presentations, toured construction sites, and participated in social events, such as a scavenger hunt in historic downtown Boston.
In 2015, CVCE student Justice Wagnon represented UALR at Student Days in Los Angeles. In 2014, CVCE students Angela Matika and Whitney Montague represented UALR at Student Days in Portland, Oregon. Who will represent UALR at Student Days in 2017? ASCE pays for airfare, lodging, and provides most meals.
Like many UALR students, Grant Lewis is a non-traditional student. Lewis is a postbaccalaureate student with a degree in business finance from the University of Maryland. In his full time job, Lewis is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving at Camp Robinson as the Air Ambulance/Training NCO for Detachment 2 Company D 1-114th Aviation Medical Evacuation Regiment. Lewis has been trained in EMT-B (Basic), EMT-P (Paramedic), and has completed the Army Flight Medic, Flight Paramedic and Critical Care Paramedic Courses. He also holds the Flight Paramedic Certification (FP-C).
UALR’s civil and construction engineering program was created in 2010, graduated its first class in 2013, and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The Department of Construction Management & Civil and Construction Engineering, in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, also offers B.S. degrees in architectural and construction engineering, and environmental engineering, and A.S., B.S., and M.S. degrees in construction management.
Where’s Grant? 2016 ASCE Student Days participants tour a construction site in Boston, MA
