PULLMAN, WA – Washington State University student team took a top prize in the recent Associated Schools of Construction student competition, the largest construction management competition in the U.S.
More than 1,860 students from 56 universities and 20 states participated in the competition, which was held in Reno, Nevada. The competition requires that students solve complex problems in less than 24 hours, present proposals, and participate in a rigorous question and answer session in a business-like setting.
A WSU team, coached by Professor Darhl Edwards and sponsored by Holland Construction, won third place in the design build category which consisted of 20 teams from schools in California, Oregon, and Washington. As part of the competition category, sponsored by Swinerton Incorporated, the students developed and presented a schematic design, estimate, schedule and evaluation for a project’s management while incorporating technical writing to develop a proposal for a real-life construction problem.
The interdisciplinary student team included Cooper Irinaga, Pascal Jacklin, Aundine Janke, Matthew Johnson, Adrian Klinkenberg, and Rose Maurer with alternates Jesus Estrada and Ian Ladd.
WSU also had strong performances from teams competing in the heavy civil, virtual design and construction, and commercial categories. The teams are predominantly construction management students. However, architecture and public relations/construction management minor students were represented on the design build team as well as civil engineering and construction engineering students on the heavy civil team.
“The competition highlights the collaboration between design and construction, challenging students to develop real-world solutions” said Darhl Edwards, assistant professor in the School of Design and Construction and the design-build team’s faculty coach and advisor. “You can see their growth that ultimately makes them stronger and better prepared for future success in their chosen industry. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all the participants.”
Several industry partners, including Exxel Pacific, Howard S. Wright, Mortenson, Goodfellow Bros., Atkinson, Skanska, Hoffman, Absher and Holland Construction provided financial support, workshops, and/or practice problems for the WSU student teams before the competition.
“We are extremely thankful for the fantastic industry support that we have here at WSU,” said Jason Peschel, professor and director of the School of Design and Construction. “Our students are fortunate to get such amazing mentorship in preparation for the competition. Through the ASC student competition, they gain invaluable skills and experiences that they will bring to the classroom and their careers.”
