ֱCivil Engineers Host and Compete in Regionwide ASCE Competition
ֱ recently hosted the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Southeast Student Symposium
ֱ recently hosted the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Southeast Student Symposium, in which ֱparticipants came away with six top-five finishes, including winning the “geo-wall” competition.
More than 900 civil engineering students from 21 schools attended the three-day competition, which featured over 20 competitions and presentations spanning a wide range of engineering disciplines. The ֱcontingent finished 10th overall, and placed sixth based on average, relative to the number of events the students competed in.
Besides taking first place in geo-wall, ֱstudents finished second in the National ASCE “symposium paper” competition, and second in the “muddy water” and “T-shirt” regional ASCE events. Also regionally, ֱplaced fourth in both “prestressed concrete beam” and “solutioneering.” The 10th-place overall finish marks the highest for ֱin the last eight years, and ֱwon their first team event since 2024.
“This was the second time we hosted this event, featuring 21 schools, 900-plus students and 150 faculty, advisors and volunteers,” said Fred Bloetscher, Ph.D., a professor and associate dean for undergraduate studies and community outreach in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Hosting is a huge effort, requiring seven students full-time organizing the event, along with several faculty and industry partners.”
The overall winner of the 2026 symposium was University of Florida, while the runner-up was the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Other teams competing included Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Florida International University, the University of Miami, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.
ֱalso was able to utilize one of the completed projects to partner with the community and pay it forward. As part of the doghouse competition, participating teams designed and constructed sustainable dog houses that were donated to Broward County Animal Care and shelters in West Palm Beach.
“Beyond technical excellence, the symposium emphasized service and community impact,” said Andrew France, president of ֱASCE. “This example of initiative highlights the role of engineers in giving back and demonstrates FAU’s commitment to community outreach. Overall, the event showcased FAU’s leadership in education and reinforced its growing presence in South Florida as a hub for developing talent, building industry connections and advancing the next generation of engineering professionals.”
For more information on the 2026 symposium, click .-FAU-
Tags: students | engineering