A&M-Commerce Engineering Students Impress at TEXO Student Construction Competition
Students from A&M-Commerce's Department of Engineering & Technology competed in the TEXO Foundation's annual Associated Schools of Construction Region 5 student competition on February 16-19, 2018, in Addison, TX.
Each year, construction industry partners submit design projects, which teams of student competitors work to complete over the course of a day. The teams then present their project plans, which include cost estimates and schedules for building projects. The event culminates with a banquet, including awards for schools as well as the best individual presenters.
A&M-Commerce was represented by two teams of six students competing in two categories. Aaron Garcia, James Latta, Sunjae Lee, Emma Neuweiler, Brianna Ramos, and Colton Wylie competed in the Design-Build category, in which projects were judged by The Beck Group, an architecture and construction firm. Juan Cisneros, Alexandra Hernandez, Adam Griffin, Coen Price, Christopher Papson, and Mark Czarny competed in the Commercial category, with projects judged by construction firm Brasfield and Gorrie. Colton Wylie, a Construction Engineering senior, was selected as the top presenter at the competition.
“This is a great way to expose our students to real-life bidding experiences and have them meet with the industry leaders,” said Debbie Kim, assistant professor of Construction Engineering. “Students get to go through the entire bidding process for 16 hours and apply all the knowledge they learned in class into the real process.”
This year, the competition coincided with National Engineers Week, when engineering professionals and students celebrate the contributions of the profession and relate practical applications of engineering to the world around them, just as A&M-Commerce students did at the competition.
The TEXO Foundation is a non-profit foundation of the largest commercial contractors association in Texas. The foundation has established strong relationships with local high schools and the universities in ASC Region V offering construction degrees in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.