Well, it’s that time of the quarter again. Time for the Moment to be hitting the presses and being distributed to you. There are a lot of interesting articles in this quarter’s issue. I would like to thank everyone who submitted an article and encourage everyone to continue to submit to the Moment.

You will see several changes to the format this quarter compared to last quarter. Some of these changes are columns, pictures, and better editing.

I urge you to read this issue thoroughly because the seniors will be quizzed on it and must pass the quiz before they can graduate.

I would like to thank Kathy Nicoson for all her help. I would also like to thank James Inge for his help with the cover design. Thank you to everyone who submitted and helped edit this edition to make it better than my previous issue.

Tim Rohe

Moment Editor

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

by Ben Merkling

Another successful year here at Rose is quickly coming to an end and along with it comes the conclusion of one more quarter of ASCE excellence. Looking back at the last quarter I am amazed by the shear number of activities our little chapter has been able to provide for both the students and the community. I am particularly proud of all of the help we were able to provide to several worthy community causes.

During the first weeks of the spring quarter I was approached by Nancy House - Area 7, a group that provides home health services to the elderly, about a woman in need of a handrail. Dorry Campbell is a 65 year old widow who had been recovering from a broken hip for some time but was just not able to step down the 8" from her front door to the sidewalk below. For nearly eleven months, Mrs. Campbell had been confined to her home and "it was driving (her) nuts," or at least that is what she told me the first time we met. So, with the help of several of our members, ACSE provided her with a secured steel handrail, as well as a temporary wooden platform to help minimize the step out of her home. Needless to say, she was very happy to be able to come and go as she pleased again.

After the completion of the Campbell project, we decided that our next project would be to provide the first annual Christmas in April with several willing laborers. The Christmas in April is an organization which takes one day out of the year to gather many volunteers and make repairs to several homes of elderly or disabled low-income residents who need a helping hand in making their homes more livable. On April 26, at 6:00 a.m. half-a-dozen of our members showed up at the Chancy Rose Middle School in Terre Haute to receive their assignments. The students spent the morning removing trees and designing a wheelchair ramp which would be constructed at a later date.

ASCE was again proud to participate in Rose's campus cleanup day on April 19 and had a great turn out. About 15 student members showed up to help with the forming, placing and finishing of three segments of sidewalk all around campus. The total pour consisted of three cubic yards of concrete and took about four hours to complete.

While all of the community service projects were coming and going we also had several major projects underway. Sophomore Jon Walls began planning for the second annual ASCE golf tournament for charity in early February, and the result was a huge success. Walls raised over $1850 for the Habitat for Humanity branch in town and provided a great day of golf for 88 community golfers.

Along with the golf tournament, we took on the responsibility for the fabrication, and construction of a steel sculpture to be placed in the Root quadrangle as a memorial to one of the greatest teachers Rose has ever known, Dr. Cecil T. Lobo. Lead by Brent Nemeth, project manager, Ryan Pownall, construction manager, Chad Leinart, fabrication manager and Adriano Silva, design engineer, over 60 members helped to bring this lasting memorial to campus by participating in the fabrication of the sculpture and the construction of the plaza.

Parent's Day brought with it the annual balsa wood bridge and concrete cylinder competitions which several of our members volunteered to lead and judge. The work of several members this quarter also produced a steel bridge and the chapter's first concrete canoe in years. All in all, not a bad quarter.

I knew when I signed on as the president of the chapter that I would be in charge of providing plenty of opportunities for the 76 devoted members of our organization to become involved in everything from fieldtrips to speakers to community service, but are you people trying to kill me? Ah, I'm just kidding. I love to see the look on peoples faces when I tell them "Sure, I know that I can get people to help from ASCE." Or the sense of pride I have when I get to introduce our chapter and our accomplishments to the likes of Purdue and Georgia Tech.

Just remember that as a civil engineering student here at Rose you are entitled to a greater education than can be provided in the classroom alone. I feel that it is my responsibility as ASCE president to provide those opportunities. And by your continued efforts and enthusiasm for ASCE you are not only gaining the knowledge that will help you the rest of your days but also helping to turn our chapter of ASCE into the greatest chapter in the country. Thank you all for your help and dedication, and I look forward to working with you again next year.

Civil Pride!

Ben Merkling
ASCE Student Chapter President

Indiana Section Meeting - Design Competition 5-Peat!

A Bridge Too Far Not Far Enough

By Chris Boyd CE98

The National Timber Bridge Design Contest is a design competition similar to the ASCE steel bridge contest. The competition is open to ASCE student chapters as well as Forest Products Society (FPS) student chapters. The contest is "hosted" by the Civil Engineering Department of Mississippi State University. The competition is intended to promote the use of wood as a bridge construction material, generate innovative and cost-effective design techniques, and develop an appreciation of wood’s engineering capabilities.

Rose-Hulman’s entry into this competition began with Dr. Descoteaux’s Structural Design in Timber class. The class members were divided into four teams. Each team was required to design and construct a timber bridge for the competition. The bridge was required to span 3 m (9’ 10") and support a 20 kN (4,496 lb) load for one hour (60 min). Deflection under load was limited to a maximum of 8 mm (» 5/16 in). The designs were judged based on max deflection (40%), bridge weight (20%), written report and five minute video (20%), and judge’s review (20%). The bridges were built and tested here in Terre Haute, but the report and results were submitted online via the Internet.

My design consisted of two three-bay trusses supporting a deck constructed from 1x12 planks lapped 50%. I analyzed my truss design using the Visual Analysis software package. The truss model indicated a maximum deflection of .9 mm under the full load. A report of maximum member forces was used to determine the cross sectional area of each member. I determined a nominal 2x2 member was needed to carry the maximum axial loads in both tension and compression. I used this same member size for all truss members to simplify construction.

The truss was constructed from ½" thick by 1½" wide strips ripped from stud grade 2x4 lumber. These strips were laminated in three layers using carpenter’s wood glue to form the truss members. This technique allowed me to overlap each layer at the joint, producing a moment-resisting connection. The joints were further strengthened by gluing ¼" plywood gusset plates to each side of every joints.

The deck was constructed by placing two 10’ 2x4s parallel and square on the floor, then attaching the 1x12 decking perpendicular to these members. The decking was secured using subfloor adhesive and drywall screws which were removed once the glue had set. A second layer was then added, overlapping the boards by 50%. The trusses were then attached to the deck using the same technique.

The load testing of my bridge was conducted at a local lumber yard using pallets of asphalt roofing shingles. The pallets were placed using a forklift and deflections were measured with dial gauges located under the bridge deck. The total load was slightly more than the 20 kN required, and the maximum deflection was 6.73 mm at the end of the one hour test.

The competition results were released on April 30. My entry tied for 8^th out of 11 entries. (Since two bridges were disqualified I actually tied for last.) Here are the results of the competition with my results in parenthesis. Maximum deflection ranged from 2.67 to 6.73 mm (6.73 mm). Bridge weight ranged from 76.20 to 212.00 kg (126.55 kg). The Oregon State chapters of ASCE and FPS won by capturing first place in all four judging categories. They had more than 40 members (1), used 1630 man-hours (50), and spent $1050 ($200). (But who’s counting.) Good luck to next year’s team.

One More Year Out of the Way

With the end of the year approaching I would just like to take the time to reflect on the things that were accomplished this year. From the beginning we knew that it would be a tough year without Dr. Lobo to help push us through it as usual and with out him, I didn’t know how we would get through it. Once again let me hand it to the members of the Cecil T. Lobo Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. I would personally like to say thank you to all of the students that helped accomplish so many things this year.

From the beginning of the year our chapter kept up their outstanding community service reputation by doing numerous projects like handicap ramps, campus clean-up, Tribune Star Christmas Basket, Habitat for Humanity, RiverWatch, Christmas-in-April, and the golf tournament for charity, just to name a few. And while we weren’t doing community service projects, we were involved in various educational contests. Numerous Senior Design groups placed first in the presentation contests that they participated in and numerous students also participated in the concrete cube competition, the concrete canoe and timber bridges competitions that were resurrected from the grave, and the steel bridge contest.

In addition to those contests that the students were participating in we decided to take on one of the projects that will stand as a tribute to Dr. Lobo from now on. That was the construction of a steel teaching sculpture that was dedicated on May 2^nd. From the point of the person in charge of fabrication, I honestly could have seen this project turn into a nightmare, but the exact opposite occurred. Throughout the three months of fabrication, not one group failed to show or was even late to the shop. Needless to say, I was amazed and extremely pleased.

I would personally like to say thanks to the 60+ students that volunteered their time to help make this project be completed, who without their help, this project could have never been completed. When I was in Chicago for the steel bridge regionals I had a chance to talk with Fromy Rosenberg, the Assistant Director of Education for AISC about our sculpture. He informed me that while there are nearly 50 teaching sculptures on campuses across the nation, we are the only school that had students fabricate the sculpture. This just reinforces how great the Civil Engineering students at Rose-Hulman really are.

All of this could not have been accomplished without the help of the faculty of the Civil Engineering department and especially Dr. McKinney’s help on the sculpture, Dr. Descoteaux’s help with all of the ASCE functions, and of course Kathy’s help with everything that we pawn off on her. While their help was essential, none of the things that were accomplished this year could have been done without the strong support of the members of the Cecil T. Lobo Chapter of ASCE. Everyone of you should be proud of the things that were accomplished this year. I strongly feel that we have given more back to this school and the community this year than any other organization at Rose-Hulman.

While there is no way that I could thank everybody there are a few people that I feel deserve recognition for their efforts this year. First and foremost to Ted Hazledine and all of the guys at Benchmark Fabricated Steel for their undying support of the Rose-Hulman Civil Engineering Department without whom many of our projects could not be done. Thanks to Brent Nemeth for his role as last years ASCE president and his help in the sculpture and numerous community service projects. Next is Pete Haug for the annual report that looked great. Jon Walls for all of the work he put in on the golf tourney and community service projects. Adriano Silva for his work on the steel bridge and the foundation design for the sculpture. Current ASCE president Ben Merkling for all of his time spent on every ASCE activity. Personally I would like to thank Brad Chelton, Tony Hinkle, George Lewis, Adriano Silva, and Tim Wuestefield for all of their help with the steel bridge. I am sorry for all of the people that I left out, because without everybody helping, none of the things that we accomplished this year would have gotten done.

In closing, I would like to say congratulations and good luck to all of those graduating this year, you will be missed (some more than others). To all of us that are planning on returning next year, we have set some high expectations for ourselves after this year. I think we are up to the challenge, because if we didn’t back down this year, I don’t think we will next year. Once again, thanks to everybody that made this go as smoothly as it did. Everyone should be proud of the things accomplished this year since, in some way or another, you were part of it.

by Adriano Silva

After several years of winning the regionals competition and going to nationals, the Rose-Hulman Steel Bridge team finally had a setback and was disqualified during the Great Lakes regional competition held on Friday, May 2, 1998. Overconfidence, delays in the design and fabrication, last-minute nervousness and the diversion of efforts to the steel sculpture all aided toward the unfortunate outcome.

The steel bridge was completely redesigned to conform to the new rules of 1998, which include a longer span, shorter height and increased vehicle passageway, among other things. The design was lead by Adriano Silva with the help of Chad Leinart and it incorporated ideas to facilitate and speed up the construction of the bridge. One of the main goals for this year's steel bridge was to reduce weight. This was achieved, but not to the desired extent. The bridge's final weight was around 110 pounds, while the aimed weight was below 100 lbs.

Fabrication was lead by Chad Leinart, with help from various team members. Because our efforts were aimed toward the steel sculpture, delays in the steel bridge fabrication occurred. Also, problems were encountered concerning stability of the bridge which the design on the computer was unable to detect. Further delays occurred in order to correct these problems. As a result, by the time the fabrication was completed, not enough time was left to properly test the bridge. It is possible that if the bridge had been tested thoroughly, flaws might have been detected and corrected in time.

A few days before the competition, the construction team composed of the students Brad Chelton, Tony Hinkle, George Lewis IV, and Tim Wuestefeld worked together in practicing for the competition. Pete Haug was also in the team as the alternate. Early in the morning, before the competition started,

the team practiced again. All appeared to be going according to plans. Four minutes was the slowest time. However, last minute change in the construction process aimed toward reducing time, and nervousness that always occur during the competition resulted in trouble during the construction process. The bridge was built in approximately six minutes, what was enough to disappoint the team. Nevertheless, it was the failure in the lateral test, which is a pass or fail test, that disqualified the bridge. A total lateral deflection of two inches occurred when only one inch was allowed. The bridge was not even tested for vertical deflection with 2500 lbs.

Regardless of the outcome of the competition and the problems experienced, the Steel Bridge Competition is a very exciting event in which the students learn valuable lessons and skills such as team work, design skills, and fabrication skills. Mr. Ted Hazledine and the people at Benchmark Fabricated Steel have been very helpful in the past years, specially with providing the material and the shop for the steel bridge fabrication. They deserve our deepest appreciation for allowing Rose-Hulman students to turn ideas into reality and participate in this great event.

More Than Technical Competency Alone

By Brent Nemeth

The senior year can be very hectic for those civil engineering students searching for permanent positions after graduation. There are many decisions to be made on finding that perfect one. And each of us has our own set of criteria when considering our options. Some students desire to work in a certain geographic location. Some would prefer to work for a large company rather than a small one. Others have a strong interest in finding employment in a design oriented job versus one in construction management. But should those graduating CEs limit themselves to finding employment strictly in the traditional civil engineering related job market? One of our recent guest speakers would certainly disagree.

Christian Crosby is a 1993 graduate of Rose-Hulman civil engineering. He currently works as a sales engineer for Kop-Flex, a division of the Emerson Power Transmission Corporation. He was invited by the Chapter to speak on alternatives careers for those graduates with CE degrees. Mr. Crosby addressed many important points in his presentation, with the main ones being the necessity of having the proper communication skills and the importance of happiness in one’s choice of his or her occupation.

As most of us would agree, Rose does an excellent job in preparing civils to have the technical capability to enter the engineering job market after graduation. We are not only prepared to embark upon solving problems encompassed in the civil engineering discipline alone, but because we receive a well rounded education including such classes as chemistry, a variety of mathematics, computer applications, and engineering economy, we are able to relate to almost any kind of technical subject. Mr. Crosby made it a point however to assure us that technical competency alone will not provide much success in our careers. An engineer must be able to express his or her ideas to a variety of individuals, from those people with no scientific background at all, to those with enormous amounts of technical knowledge. The engineer must be able to translate technical language into simple terms that will be understood by all.

Mr. Crosby also emphasized the importance of happiness in what one does. A person should not select employment based upon salary alone. There are many other items to consider such as benefits, potential for promotion, and most importantly, one should truly enjoy what he or she does. Just because we graduate with civil engineering degrees, does not mean we should limit ourselves to finding employment in civil engineering related jobs. As previously mentioned, Rose teaches us to be analyzers and thinkers. Our educations could be applied to a broad variety of occupations. Therefore, a person should find their niche, doing what makes them happy, whether civil engineering related or not. And Mr. Crosby has every right to make that claim. After all, he is perfectly happy working in a sales position selling machinery.

By James Tedrick

A great professor and long-time member of Rose was honored posthumously May 2, as the civil engineering department and the Rose-Hulman student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) dedicated the Cecil T. Lobo Memorial Steel Sculpture at noon.

Dr. Lobo was a professor of civil engineering at Rose for more than 30 years. In addition to his faculty position, he was also the faculty advisor for the Student Chapter of the ASCE for 27 years. During that span, he received the Zone II faculty advisor award in 1995, and the chapter received many awards, including the Zone II Vice-Presidential Award, declaring it one of the five best chapters in the country.

Unfortunately, Dr. Lobo did not live to see his students receive that award. On May 20, 1997, after visiting the annual ASCE spring picnic, Dr. Lobo suffered a massive heart attack and passed away.

Shortly before his death, Dr. Lobo began working on a project to bring an educational steel sculpture onto campus. This sculpture, of a design sponsored by the American Institute for Steel Construction, provides an opportunity to educate students in joint types as well as add to the aesthetics of campus.

This fall, the civil engineering students took it upon themselves to accomplish Dr. Lobo's dream. Brent Nemeth, former president of the newly renamed Cecil T. Lobo Student Chapter of ASCE, served as project chair.

"This was a completely student-run project. From surveying the site to placing the structure, to the design and fabrication of the members, to the construction of the plaza, it was all accomplished by student labor," stated Nemeth.

Students volunteered to work on the sculpture and were then broken into groups. The groups were tasked with the design of a section, and later the construction of that section according to the schedule devised by the student coordinators.

In addition to providing the students with an opportunity to design, the construction also presented a unique experience. Eric Haenlein, a sophomore civil engineer, said, "I thought it was really nice to have a hands-on, out of the classroom experience. You can talk about design, but to actually do it and then build the result was fun."

The steel for the project, as well as a location to work on the sculpture, were both donated. Benchmark Steel, a long-time supporter of the ASCE steel bridge contest, allowed the project the use of their facility for fabrication and assembly.

The project started in November. Before winter break in mid-December, groups were given their tasks and the preliminary schedule. Actual construction started in January, and the sculpture was completed within four and a half months. The final plaza design was selected in February, and most of the activity in April concentrated on its construction just north of the Olin Hall Materials Laboratory. The plaza is a circle designed to complement the existing layout of Root Quadrangle, with sidewalks connecting it with the paths in Root. The sculpture arrived Friday, May 1.

The sculpture was dedicated Saturday, May 2, at noon, the climax of ASCE's chedule for Family Day. Before the dedication, there was a statics display in Olin Hall, and the freshmen's balsa wood bridge busting contest. After the dedication and lunch, there was a concrete cylinder contest. In each contest the students must design and submit their own entries. Finally, at 2 p.m., ASCE sponsored a golf tournament for the Wabash Valley Chapter of Habitat for Humanity at Idle Creek Golf Course.

Cecil T. Lobo Memorial Construction Project

By Ryan Pownall

As many of you may have seen, construction was going on at the entrance to the root quadrangle throughout much of March and April. Many Rose-Hulman civil engineers worked many hard hours preparing the site for the Cecil T. Lobo memorial which was recently dedicated on May 2, 1998. The project was headed up by four Rose-Hulman students: Brent Niemeth - Project Manager, Adriano Silva - Geotechnical Engineer, Ryan Pownall - Construction Manager, and Chad Leinart - Fabrication Coordinator.

The actual construction of the site started early in March, and there were four main phases of construction which took place: Foundation Installation, Walkway Installation, Retaining Wall Installation, and Placing the Sculpture. After laying out the site, we first wanted to install the foundation for the sculpture. The foundation, designed by Adriano Silva, was a 4’ x 4’ x 3’ cube reinforced with a steel rebar cage to prevent splitting of the nearly two yards of concrete placed. There were also six 24" anchor bolts placed in the foundation which support the base plate of the sculpture.

The next step was to place a walkway around the sculpture. We had decided the best way to make the memorial fit in with its surroundings was to replicate the numerous circular walkways which already exist on campus. The walkway was formed so an inner and outer concrete ring could be placed. These two rings were separated by a 16" space to allow for the placing of two rows of concrete brick pavers. The entire plaza has a total diameter of sixteen feet.

Once the walkway was completed, we placed a split-faced concrete retaining wall around the back edge of the site. The wall continued past the boundaries of the new site around an existing transformer in an attempt to hide it. The area behind the wall was then backfilled and planted with shrubs and flowers.

Finally on May 1st, the sculpture was trucked in from BenchMark Fabricated Steel and placed on site with a crane. The placement went smooth and the sculpture was ready for dedication the next morning.

As construction manager, I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Jim Mckinney, Wayne Spary, Keith Royer, Brent Nemeth, all the buildings and grounds personnel, and all the students who came out and gave me a hand with the construction. I believe Dr. Cecil T. Lobo is a very proud and well deserving man for all the work which has been completed in his honor.

By Kenny Owens

On Saturday, May 2, 1998, ASCE and the Wabash Valley Habitat for Humanity sponsored its second annual golf tournament. All the proceeds benefited Habitat for Humanity. The tournament was held for the first time at Idle Creek Golf Course, posting the best turnout ever. A record number of 20 teams participated in the four-man scramble with a banker’s handicap. Most of the teams consisted of Rose-Hulman alumni and their business partners. However, there were some student and faculty teams. During the first half of the tournament the weather was great. As the day progressed, the sky decided to change. It started to rain and hail. It was even reported that a tornado was spotted just miles away. At this point the players were soaked. The tournament was delayed for about an hour. Play resumed once the rain stopped. A cook out and an award ceremony followed.

Congratulations go out to the following teams: Dr. Martin Thomas’s team, 1^st place gross score and Chad Leinart’s team, 2^nd place for gross score. The winning teams received cash prizes for their victories. In addition to the prizes for 1^st and 2^nd places, a raffle was held. Companies and local restaurants donated prizes. Prizes included towels, golf supplies, and restaurant gift certificates. Even though rain tried to dampen the day, the tournament was a success.

Rose Students Help Local High School Teachers Better Prepare Their Students for College

By James Tedrick

How well did your high school prepare you for Rose? On March 12^th, Ben Merkling, Eric Henlein, Angela Clark, myself, and some other ASCE members answered that question for four high school teachers who were advisors for the JETS engineering exam.

While their students took the exam, the advisors were split into several groups and participated in roundtable discussions. One of the discussions, the one ASCE participated in, involved giving feedback on how high school education could better prepare students for an intensive engineering career.

Before the discussion, surveys were distributed to the freshmen and sophomore classes. These surveys helped the limited number actually attending the roundtable to gain a broader perspective than they could provide. In attendance were Larry Bond of Sullivan HS, Earl McMillen from Riverton-Parke, Brent Anderson from North Central, and Terry Keaton out of West Vigo. Representing the students were Ben Merkling, Gary Pool, Sean Stoughton, James Tedrick, Tim Rohe, Angela Clark, Eric Haenlein, and Josh Callahan.

Prominent on the returned surveys was the desire for more Advanced Placement courses, and study skills. Suggestions also included more team-based learning, mixing skills across courses, and personal care skills, such as ironing.

We discussed how to make teaching math and sciences more interesting and suggested several ideas, including a recently developed bridge simulation from West Point which was popular at a National Engineers’ Week event in Indianapolis.

Overall, I believe such a feedback opportunity is a valuable way to ensure high school teahcers get the information they need to improve their teaching.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Austin Holcomb

Throughout my childhood, I was exposed to engineering in a variety of forms. The first memories I have of engineering was of my grandfather talking about the work he did at Essex in Fort Wayne. When he decided to go out on his own and become a consulting engineer, I was further exposed to the civil engineering field. My father is a general contractor and from an early age he has taught me much about the contracting field. As my interest in contracting grew so did my knowledge of related fields.

After working for my father for the first time at the age of fifteen, I was interested in the construction field. At that point I was interested in taking over my fathers business when I grew older and saw no need for further education. As I grew older and my experience and knowledge in the field increased I knew that if I wanted to take over the family business and expand to larger horizons, more education was a must.

As my high school career continued I had visions of expanding my father’s business to encompass much larger projects such as schools or municipal buildings. In order to gain the knowledge to be able to design, estimate, and operate a project of that magnitude I knew I would need some sort of technical education. At the beginning of my junior year my grandfather brought me into the world of civil engineering by introducing me to many of the projects he was working on. He suggested, along with my father, that I look into a career in civil engineering. As I learned more and more about civil engineering I knew it was the place for me.

At some point in the future I hope to be able to return to Angola and work with my father to expand the business to encompass a great deal of projects. By majoring in civil engineering I hope to learn the methods and techniques needed to competently design and organize a major construction project.

Why I chose Civil Engineering as My Major

By Chris Bauer

Years ago I decided I wanted to be not an engineer, but a Civil Engineer. I never really even considered the other fields of engineering. I hate chemistry, anything besides every day use of a computer frustrates me, and I don't understand electricity. As far as mechanical engineering goes, I went on a career day trip with a Mechanical Engineer from Rose who oversaw the production of little plastic balls, which turned me off real quick.

In the summer of 1996, I attended Operation Catapult. By that point I was interested in Civil Engineering, and wanted to learn more about who they are. Operation Catapult helped show me just that. During Catapult, I came to the conclusion that in the midst the world of engineering's goofy clothes and weird hair do's, theoretical talk, and pointles inventions, you have these laid back, boot-wearing, down to earth guys called Civils. That turned me on to Civil Engineering more than ever, being a relatively laid back and down to earth guy myself. During Catapult, I also learned the Civil department is a very small, and close knit department, which I liked very much. These guys have been around and needed forever and always will be. Civil is arguably the only engineering discipline the world has never been able to function without.

I have always been happy working outdoors, whether it be landscaping, surveying, or whatever jobs I may find. Therefore, the environmental aspect and water flow aspect of Civil Engineering has particularly interested me.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering as my Major

By Ryan Hoerst

One of the most important decisions in life has got to be deciding what you want to do with your life. Finding an occupation you feel suits your personality and at the same time will allow you to fulfill all the wants and needs of the modern world often seems next to impossible. When I sat down with my highschool guidance counselor and thought about what I wanted to study in college, I went through the normal set of questions like: What are your best subjects?, What kinds of things do you like to do?, and What kind of lifestyle would you like to be living after college? Based on my answers Civil Engineering was a natural fit.

To start off, my best subjects in highschool were math and science. These were my best subjects because of the fact I enjoyed the material and had a general interest in the subjects. After looking at all the possible math and science occupations, Engineering in general seemed to be the one I liked best. For the next question, I like to be outside working, and to build things. After looking at the different Engineering majors only one could guarantee both of these criteria making Civil Engineering my choice of study. For the last question, I answered I would like to be my own boss in charge of a decent sized company making good money. After taking a look at the different graduating salaries of past graduates I noticed a significant amount of Civil grads were very wealthy. When I asked about this I was told it was because Civils are more likely to start their own businesses.

When you take all of this information and compare them with the answers to those three questions I was asked by my counselor, there was only one major I could see myself taking and that was Civil Engineering.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Nathan David Knies

When I'm asked the question, why I chose civil engineering as my major, my response is stated as if I was answering two similar, but different questions: Why I chose engineering, and then why I chose civil engineering.

First, I will answer the first question of why I chose engineering. I don't think there is much variation in the reasons why people become engineers. My reasons, though, stem from my abilities and skills. I am good in math and science, and love solving problems, which is what much of engineering is. Since people tend to like doing what they are good at, it follows that I like studying math, science, and problem solving. Since everyone wants a career that will be enjoyable for them, this leads me to choose engineering as my career.

Now, to answer the question why I chose the civil branch of engineering. It always has, and still does amaze me when I go to a big city and see the skyscrapers and the big bridges and the huge, multi-laned interstates and highways. All of these things I love to see and think about were constructed utilizing civil engineering. So basically, what I'm saying is I chose civil engineering because of its structural side. I hope to someday be working on a skyscraper or interstate.

So, when I look at everything as a whole, I see I chose civil engineering because I want to help conquer the challenges society poses by building bigger and better things, using my skills in math, science, and problem solving.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

Standing on Plexiglas, looking down to the ground 400 meters below is an experience remembered for a lifetime. Being at the top of the CN Tower is an exhilarating experience. Feeling the wind whip around me while walking around above the city of Toronto outlined by the setting sun to the west and Lake Ontario to the east is awesome. Why did I choose Civil Engineering?

The CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding tower, was one of the many stops during spring break. Others included the Sears Tower in Chicago, the tallest commercial building in the world, the Arch in Saint Louis, the tallest national monument, the Niagra Falls hydroelectric plant, and over 2500 miles of highway to get me between places. These highlight my love for building and engineering, the summit of human achievement. To build such monuments to humanity and to the human spirit is a feat toward which I wish to work.

Seeing the outline of Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, rising out of the morning mist of Lake Michigan, from the sand dunes of Indiana is as awe inspiring as seeing the city at night lighting up the sky for miles around and lights going out in straight lines for as far as the eye can see. Thinking of building or even getting to and from such places is impossible without the thousands upon thousands of miles of highways and railroads throughout the country. Building and maintaining a road system as excellent as Ohio's or a railroad system as vast as Chicago's is a challenge for me that I wish to know how to solve.

Simply driving through Detroit's industrial base, or the steel and other industrial plants of Cleveland or Toledo or Erie is as inspiring to me as being held up in traffic as tons and tons of steel in the form of a drawbridge moves for a barge, carrying iron ore, to cross or a wait for a railroad train of over 200 cars, full of grain to feed the city, makes its way by.

When I was little, my dad's idea of fun family time was to drive around to all of the buildings and roads under construction nearby and explain them to me. I guess that mentality rubbed off because that is what I enjoy doing now. It is both the act of building and the structures themselves which make me happy, and I want to stay happy, to exist to the fullest.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Steve Krause

I chose Civil Engineering as my major for several reasons. I wanted to be a civil engineer because of the hands-on work civil engineers do. I also wanted to become a CE because of the variety of work civil engineers do. Another reason I wanted to become a civil engineer is because of family history in related fields. These reasons are among the most important for my choice of civil engineering as my major.

I wanted to be a civil engineer because of the hands-on work they do. I was a mechanical engineer at the beginning of the year, but changed my major to civil because I thought being a civil engineer would be more interesting than being a mechanical engineer. I thought being an ME would mean sitting behind a desk and being a pencil-pusher. Civil engineering appealed more to me because of the on-site work I would do. Civil engineers work outside at the work site and conduct business there. That appealed to me when deciding to be a civil engineer.

Another reason I chose civil engineering as my major, is because of the variety of work civil engineers do. Every job is different, whether it be the environment or the project at hand. I like this because I will not become bored with being a civil engineer. My job will not become monotonous and will constantly be different. This is another reason I chose civil engineering as my major.

Another major reason I chose civil engineering as my major is because of my family history in related occupations. My father is a professional land surveyor. Two of my brothers work for my father. I have worked for my father during the summer and this has also sparked my interest in the civil engineering field.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering as My Major

By Tarelle Van Dyk

I have wanted to be an engineer since my sophomore year of high school. Even though I enjoyed all academic areas, math and science quickly became my favorites. At first I wanted to be a chemical engineer, I enjoyed chemistry and thought it would allow me to find a high paying job. Because I live in a small town the only type of experience I could get was at a civil engineering firm. I finished a work study program at the firm and it helped me receive a summer job at a local contracting company. I got "hands on" experience, laying sewer and water pipe. I learned a lot with that job and it really sparked something in me. I wanted more, I wanted to move on to bigger and more extravagant plans. I decided that summer, I wanted to draw those plans.

In the fall of 1997, I began my first semester at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as a Chemical Engineering Major. At that time I was still chasing the money I thought a Chemical Engineering degree would promise me. After a lot of thought and taking a few civil classes I decided to follow my love. I wanted to battle nature and design functional structures or objects that would make people’s heads spin and chins drop. I see these such structures as works of art. But unlike the majority of artwork, the work of a civil engineer is usually functional. Someday I want my name to be behind a piece of art people can look at and enjoy, but even more importantly it will be something they can also use.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering as My Major

By Dusty Richards

Before I began attending Rose-Hulman, I put a lot of thought into deciding what to major in. I finally decided to major in Civil Engineering. This decision was based on several reasons. First of all, I have always been fascinated with building blocks, Legos, and erector sets. Secondly, civil engineers have the highest probability of owning their own company. Finally, civil engineers get to work with the outdoors, and erect creations that will remain years after the designers death.

When I was a little boy, I loved to play with blocks, Legos, and erector sets. I loved the challenge of creating interesting things. One day I would try to build the biggest building I could, while the next day would be spent trying to make a cool spaceship. I think this early love of building toys plays a large part in my interest in architecture and buildings.

A second reason I am attracted to civil engineering is the financial aspects of the career. Civil engineers may not start their careers with the highest salary, but by becoming the owner of their own company, they have a high chance of earning the higher income of a successful entrepreneur.

Finally, I want to be a civil engineer because of his work environment. Civil engineers rarely have office jobs, preferring to be on site to observe their designs being built. Sometimes, the civil engineer will be the manager of a project group, supervising the erection of someone else's design. In addition to working in the great outdoors, civil engineers enjoy the recognition their greatest accomplishments bring. The work of civil engineers is always visible to the general public, and it is probably very gratifying when the public enjoys your work.

These are just a few of the many reasons I chose to pursue civil engineering as a major. My classes tell me my interest will keep growing. It should be an exciting career.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering as my Major

By Kelly McAtee

I chose civil engineering as my major for a number of reasons. They include the challenge of an engineering career, the exposure I gained to it during a summer internship, and the opportunity to work both in the field and the office.

At the start of my senior year, I did not know what career path I might follow, but I did know I wanted something challenging, something not repetitive, and something I would enjoy doing everyday. Using this criteria I thought I might enjoy a career in engineering since it is both challenging and requires new problems to be solved all the time. The only thing left was to find the specific engineering field I would enjoy most.

The experience that exposed me to civil engineering was an internship during the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. I worked on a city GIS system and came in daily contact with a number of the civil engineers in the office. Drawing from both the job I was doing and what I saw the civil engineers do, I thought I might like to do the same type of thing for a career. The more I thought about it and talked to people who were in the profession the more I believed it was something I would like to do for the rest of my life.

Another large part of the decision was the opportunity civil engineering offers to work in the field. All my life I have enjoyed spending time outdoors and I did not think I could stand having a desk job for 40 years. Even if I enjoyed something immensely, but did not have the chance to work outside at times, I think I would choose not to do it.

With the criteria of a challenging career and the opportunity to work outdoors, along with the experience gained, I decided civil engineering was the major I wanted to pursue in college.

Why I Chose Mechanical Engineering as My Major

By Michael Ritter

After I was accepted at Rose-Hulman, I faced a big question: what would I major in? I had been thinking about it for a while and narrowed it down to two choices. I would either major in Mechanical or Civil engineering. I put a list together of all the reasons for each major. Even though I chose Mechanical, I am still interested in the area of Civil engineering.

The biggest reason I had for an M.E. degree was my interest in manufacturing. I have been working for my father in the R&D department for a while. I enjoy working with brand new designs and seeing them come to life. I like the idea of being able to see my thoughts take a physical form. After going to the public library for more information, I decided the M.E. degree was a more versatile degree. I would have a greater opportunity to continue in graduate school in other engineering fields. Finally, I have always been interested in mechanical devices. When I was young I would take my toys apart to see how they worked. Even though I could put them back together correctly, this drove my parents crazy.

The most predominate reason for a Civil engineering degree was my interest in construction. I had taken a course in Junior High School about this topic. Learning the basics made me want to learn much more. I had the same feeling of accomplishment to be able to have a physical version of my ideas. While reading a history of the infrastructure of the United States, I came to realize the importance of Civil engineering in society. Without the infrastructure, the Panama Canal or any large buildings in our society would be very different. The role of the C.E. cannot be overlooked.

In the end I chose M.E., only because I felt I could continue in Aerospace engineering for a masters degree. I still am fascinated by the field of study I could have persued.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By John Bowen

Choosing a college major was a very difficult decision for me, and several factors influenced my choice. As a senior in high school I was considering three possible careers to pursue. The three occupations that I was considering were an airline pilot, a teacher, and an engineer. Throughout the year I was told by many people that a college education doesn't guarantee that a person could get a job after college so I knew that it was important to chose a career that I enjoyed, and one that was in demand. Therefore, I decided that I would pursue an occupation in an engineering field. However, at that time I was not sure what field of engineering I wanted to study.

Ever since I can remember I have always loved the outdoors. Consequently, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to work outdoors and I felt civil engineering offered me the best opportunity. Many of the other engineering fields sounded like there would be too much office work, and that was something that I definitely did not want.

My father is also a civil engineer with the Indiana Department of Transportation, and he had a big influence in my decision. When I was growing up I would always see him come home with mud and tar all over his clothes. Growing up I never understood what my father really did, but I knew then I would prefer a job where I could where old clothes and play in the mud all day over one in which I had to where a shirt and tie everyday.

I made my final decision to become a civil engineer after I worked with the Department of Transportation the summer after my senior year. That summer I worked on a crew resurfacing the Sherman-Minton bridge in Louisville, KY. Working on that job I found out what civil engineers really do. Over the summer I learned a lot about bridge structures, and I enjoyed learning about it. After that job experience I knew I would enjoy a career as a civil engineer.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Ike Deburger

I chose civil engineering as my major for several reasons. I knew when I entered junior high school that I wanted to be involved in a field that would combine both math and science because I have always had a genuine interest in these subjects. I did some research on engineering, and found it very interesting. Once I decided to study engineering, I was unsure of what type would most interest me.

After I decided to come to Rose-Hulman, I narrowed down my choice of majors to either civil or mechanical engineering and I feel I made the right choice because I have always been fascinated by bridges, skyscrapers, and tunnels. These structures made me wonder how they were built, and how they are able to withstand the loads placed on them. This is interesting to me. The main reason I chose civil over mechanical is I know many mechanical engineers who spend their entire careers in a factory. It is my goal one day to own my own business where I can be free to get outside and get my boots dirty. I see this opportunity in civil engineering.

One final thing helped in my decision. I saw a program on television where several civil engineers had started a demolition company. I watched the work that goes into demolishing a building, and was very interested. I might like to be involved in such a company some day. I found it amazing that not only can engineers build such marvelous structures, they can also take them down in a single blast with no harm to other buildings standing just a few feet away.

I knew from the start that I would enjoy civil engineering. The more I learn about the subject, the more interested I become. I know I made the right decision because even though there is a lot of work involved, I don't mind because I know it will pay off in the end when I get a job I will enjoy.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Glenn Ritzi

Being born in a rural town, I've been exposed to the outdoors most of my life. At a young age, my older brother and I would play in the woods and creek behind my house. A few years later, I began to hunt squirrel, rabbit, and deer. My love for the outdoors was only strengthened by the hunting experience.

Once I entered high school, my parents began to encourage me to get good grades. I followed their advice and my grades reflected the hard work. After school, it was off to baseball and football practice where again, I was outside.

It seemed I had become an upperclassman very quickly and it was then time to take the S.A.T. My parents again encouraged me to take this test very seriously and to start looking for a college. I took the test the first time and got satisfactory results, but they did not reflect my capabilities. I took the test a second time, was content with my results, and began looking for a college.

After talking to a family friend, a recent graduate as a Mechanical Engineer from Rose-Hulman, I decided to look into the majors that Rose had to offer. My parents suggested I apply to Rose and major in Mechanical Engineering. I once again followed their advice and was accepted and chose Mechanical Engineering as my major.

However, my friend's dad owns an excavating company and encouraged me to chose Civil Engineering as my major. He explained to me the work a civil engineer actually does and I felt this work was more suitable for me because of my love of the outdoors.

After graduation, I plan to work a few years to establish myself as a prominent engineer. Eventually, my friend and I plan to go into business together and install water lines in southeastern Indiana. With his equipment and my know how, we see a bright future in pipe laying and hope to expand our company to building golf courses.

Why I Chose Civil Engineering As My Major

By Josh Hudson

Here at Rose-Hulman, a lot of students tease civil engineering majors, saying that civil engineering is "the easiest major at Rose". This really doesn’t bother me, because I know that civil engineering is the most interesting field that doesn’t require just sitting around doing math problems all day. I’m sure there will be times when doing problems all day will be necessary, but civil engineers also get chances to go outside and do field work and see the real world.

I started out at Rose as an electrical engineering major. By the midterm of the first quarter, I decided to change my major to civil engineering. I talked to my parents about the decision, and they agreed with me when I said that it sounds so much better than all the other majors. We discussed how civil engineers can go outside and work on interesting things like buildings or environmental projects.

Another thing that lead me to choose civil engineering as my major was the fact that my father and

stepfather are both involved in the construction fields. I know that civil engineering is not all about construction, but doing the surveying and building jobs with them during the summers actually helped influence my decision. Even though my stepfather had primitive surveying equipment, it was still very interesting to learn how to use it to do a real project for a real person.

Another thing that drew me to civil engineering was the fact that when a big project gets finished, you can stand back and take pride in what you have done. You can look at your project from the outside and say, "Yeah, that’s my project," and you can be very proud of it. I am very confident that I made the right decision in choosing civil engineering as my major here at Rose-Hulman. I think it will be challenging, but the rewards will make it all worthwhile.