University of Nebraska–Lincoln wins 2016 NCEES Engineering Education Award

Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction takes $25,000 prize for interdisciplinary team design

NCEES is pleased to announce that the University of Nebraska–Lincoln 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. 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 the complexity and multidisciplinary aspects of the project.

“This project had so many multidisciplinary aspects. The report was detailed and comprehensive and clearly conveyed the knowledge and skills learned,” said NCEES Engineering Award jury chair Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry, Ph.D., P.E. “The breadth of interaction the students had with practicing professional engineers was impressive.”

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

• George Mason University
  Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
  New Drinking Water and Sewer System for an Elementary School for Orphans—Bilwi, Nicaragua
• George Mason University
  Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering
  Water and Sanitation Project Children’s Feeding Center Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
• Seattle University
  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Design Development of a Cultural Village for Migrant Workers
• Seattle University
  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Design of Habitat-Sensitive Erosion Hazard Mitigation near a Bridge
• Seattle University
  Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Solar Microgrid in Rural Zambia with Real-Time Cloud-Based Monitoring

The NCEES Engineering Education Award recognizes engineering programs that encourage collaboration between students and professional engineers. EAC/ABET-accredited programs from all engineering disciplines were invited to submit projects that integrate professional practice and education.

A jury of NCEES members and representatives from academic institutions and professional engineering organizations selected the winners. The jury members considered criteria such as

• Successful collaboration of faculty, students, and licensed professional engineers
• Protection of public health, safety, and/or welfare of the public
• Multidiscipline and/or allied profession participation
• Knowledge or skills gained
• Effectiveness of display board, abstract, and project description

Profiles of the winning submissions are available online at ncees.org/award.