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Past Engineering Education Award Winners

Grand Prize Winner

Milwaukee School of Engineering

The Milwaukee School of Engineering won the grand prize for the 2021 NCEES Engineering Education Award. The university received the award for a project completed by the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department. The award jury met virtually on June 15, 2021, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

For the school’s project, Sustainable Improvements for Guatemalan Cardamom Spice Dryers, a team of primarily mechanical engineering students collaborated with professional engineers and other professionals to develop a low-cost metal attachment called a swirler, which is inserted into heat exchanger tubes in spice dryers. The swirler, at a one-time cost of two dollars, is made from sheet metal and a pair of tin snips and pliers. The solution will reduce deforestation and improve the overall quality of life in rural Guatemalan communities.

The jury praised the project for providing an ingenious solution to an environmental issue.

Additional Winners

The jury selected seven additional winners to receive awards of $10,000 each:

Grand Prize Winner

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

NCEES is pleased to announce that the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is the grand prize winner of the 2019 NCEES Engineering Education Award. The university received the award for a project completed by the Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. The award jury met June 4, 2019, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

For the school’s project, Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, architectural engineering students collaborated with professional engineers, architects, and other professionals to design the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems for the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts on the Hope College campus in Holland, Michigan. The design offers superior acoustics, integrated timber or engineered wood throughout 25 percent of the building, and a rooftop amenity space that can be used year-round.

The jury praised the project for involving different engineering disciplines and a practical design solution.

Additional Winners

The jury selected seven additional winners to receive awards of $10,000 each:

Grand Prize Winner

North Carolina State University

NC State received the award for a project completed by the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. The award jury met June 5, 2018, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

For the department’s project, Enabling Pediatric Brain Surgery through Head Stabilization (PDF), biomedical engineering students collaborated with clinicians and engineering professionals to design a device that allows for complete skull immobilization for pediatric patients during neurosurgery. This innovation allows for the use of neuronavigation technology, opening new possibilities for treatment in pediatric neurosurgery.

The jury praised the project for identifying a problem in need of a solution and for collaborating with biomedical engineering professionals and medical professionals.

Additional Winners

The jury selected seven additional winners to receive awards of $10,000 each:

Grand Prize Winner

Dordt College Engineering Department

The award jury met June 6, 2017, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the top prize for its submission, Liberia Farm Bridge (PDF). For the project, undergraduate civil engineering students worked closely with professional engineers (P.E.s), construction management professionals, and other consultants to design and construct the bridge. The team designed and constructed the Liberian Farm Bridge near Harbel, Liberia, in order to connect a farm and three communities to civilization and the market. The design team also performed the construction, assisted by others from the school with construction management experience and by 30 local Liberians. Liberian participation was crucial to the project’s success and created community ownership in the project. To ensure that the bridge remains functional long into the future, the design team also created a regular maintenance schedule.

The jury praised the project for incorporating both the design and build to respond to the true needs of the local Liberians.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

UNL’s Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction is the grand prize winner of the 2016 NCEES Engineering Education Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 7, 2016, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the top prize for its submission, 888 Boylston Street-Interdisciplinary Team Design (PDF). For the project, electrical, structural, and mechanical engineering students worked as part of a team that also included licensed faculty, more than 50 licensed professional engineers and architects from industry, and many other allied professionals who served as mentors for the students. The team designed a proposed 17-story mixed-use high-rise building; the main guideline was for the building to be energy efficient according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards.

The jury praised the project for its strong interaction with professional engineers as well as improving the quality of life in this community.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

Marquette University

Marquette’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering is the grand prize winner of the 2015 NCEES Engineering Education Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 2, 2015, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the top prize for its submission, Sechum Vehicle Bridge (PDF). For the project, civil engineering students worked as part of a team that also included faculty, professional engineers with specific technical backgrounds to support each discipline on the project, other professionals, and over 100 community volunteers from the Mayan community of Sechum. The team designed and constructed a vehicular bridge, which impacted three rural communities seeking safe, reliable crossing of the Rio Pasaguay to access education, markets, and health care.

The jury praised the project for its strong interaction with professional engineers as well as improving the quality of life in this community.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

  • University of Arkansas at Little Rock
    Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering
    American Red Cross of Greater Arkansas Seismic Retrofit Feasibility Study (PDF)
  • University of Nebraska–Lincoln
    Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction
    Multidisciplinary Vertical Farm Design (PDF)
Grand Prize Winner

Seattle University

Seattle University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is the grand prize winner of the 2014 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 3, 2014, in Clemson, South Carolina, to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the top prize for its submission, Microgrid System for a Wind and Solar Farm Located in Rural Kenya (PDF). For the project, electrical engineering students worked as part of a team that also included faculty, professional engineers, and other professionals to design a hybrid wind- and solar-power microgrid system to provide electricity to a school and the surrounding community in Muhuru Bay, Kenya.

The jury praised the project for its strong interaction with professional engineers as well as its applications for communities in the United States and abroad.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

Cleveland State University

CSU’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is the grand prize winner of the 2013 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 4, 2013, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Design, Funding, and Construction of the August Pine Ridge School/Hurricane Shelter in Belize (PDF). For the project, civil engineering students from the university’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders collaborated with faculty, professional engineers, and allied professionals to design and construct a building that would not only provide additional classroom space for a Belize school but also serve as a hurricane shelter for the local community.

The jury praised the project for demonstrating the value of collaboration and the challenge of finding improvised, local solutions.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

Florida Atlantic University

FAU’s Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics Engineering Department is the grand prize winner of the 2012 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met May 31, 2012, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Dania Beach Nanofiltration Plant Expansion (PDF). For the project, students and the city of Dania Beach’s engineer collaborated with the city of Dania Beach to create a design for a new 2.0 mgd nano filtration process to complement the city’s existing 3.0 mgd conventional lime softening water treatment plant. The students took the project a step further by designing a LEED certified water treatment plant. On March 27, 2012, the new nano filtration plant officially opened, and the project team submitted documentation to become the first LEED Gold certified water treatment plant in the world.

The jury praised this project for incorporating many aspect of civil engineering and renewable energy.

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

University of New Mexico

Civil Engineering Department is the grand prize winner of the 2011 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met June 7, 2011, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Integrated Infrastructure Improvements for a Youth Scout Ranch (PDF). For the project, teams of civil engineering and construction management students worked with professional engineer mentors to design infrastructure improvements for a youth camp. Each team addressed one of four areas necessary for the camp’s future growth and improved safety: drinking water and fire protection; drainage, erosion control, and emergency road access; wastewater collection and secondary treatment; and structural improvements, including a new pedestrian bridge and trading post.

The jury praised the project for incorporating various subdisciplines of civil engineering as well as construction management and for giving students “practical understanding of the routine work environment of practicing
professional engineers.”

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

University of Delaware

U of D’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is the grand prize winner of the 2010 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met March 25, 2010, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Pomeroy Trail East Annex (PDF). For the project, student teams competed to win a commission and perform the preliminary engineering for an expansion of a multi-user trail system in their city. The teams worked with engineering mentors from professional practice to consider drainage and environmental upgrades, wastewater system improvements, reevaluation of a proposed groundwater remediation program, and associated infrastructure improvements.

The jury praised the project for its “excellent integration of real-world experience in an educational setting.”

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each:

Grand Prize Winner

Florida A&M University-Florida State University

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is the grand prize winner of the 2009 NCEES Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. The award jury met March 12, 2009, in Clemson, S.C., to select the $25,000 grand prize winner.

The department received the prize for its submission, Senior Capstone Course: Collection of Projects with Featured Everglades Restoration Project (PDF). Through its capstone course, students learn about nontechnical professional issues, such as ethics, teamwork, and communication skills, and complete a design of a civil or environmental engineering project. Professional practitioners participate by giving classroom lectures, providing real-world design projects, mentoring students, and evaluating students’ results. The featured senior design project included student teams working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on two restoration projects in the Florida Everglades.

The jury praised the project for demonstrating “strong interactions of practitioners with the engineering faculty and students.”

Additional Winners

The jury selected five additional winners to receive awards of $7,500 each: