The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will showcase the best of its student research from the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology during the EIT Open House on Tuesday, May 2. 

Original research will be on display from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the EIT lobby and on the second floor. A reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the EIT lobby, followed by the EIT Awards Ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

The EIT Alumni of the Year award, Outstanding College Student awards, and the college’s Faculty Excellence Award winners will be honored. Top student research projects from the open house as well as departmental awards will also be recognized.

The Civil and Construction Engineering Senior Design Project will be shown from noon to 12:50 p.m.

The project features three designs for tornado shelters that can withstand wind speeds of 160, 200, and 250 miles per hour. Each tornado shelter could provide refuge for 1,000 people on the UA Little Rock campus.

The class project spans two classes and an entire academic year and involves licensed professional engineers from Cromwell Architects Engineers, CDI Contractors, and UA Little Rock. Civil and Construction Engineering professors Dr. Nick Jovanovic and Dr. Hank Bray teach the professional engineering seminar and engineering design project courses and serve as faculty advisers for the project.

Senior class members include Abdulaziz Alanazi, Daniel Blair, Julian Castillo, Jeff Choate, Marie Kabera, Matt Mitchell, Drew Potter, Ross Phillips, Norbert Rungano, Dylan Singleton, David Stinnett, and Jessica Vinson.

Cromwell Architects Engineers and CDI Contractors serve as industry sponsors. Participating Cromwell members include Joe Hilliard, director of engineering; Mike Callahan, lead structural engineer; Larry Newkirk, structural designer; and Paul Timko, structural engineer. Estimator Daniel Bowen and Senior Project Manager David Cooan join the team from CDI Contractors.