The Carroll College ASCE traveling team recently returned from the 2026 Pacific Northwest Student Symposium hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage. This year’s event brought together student chapters from across the region for a week of learning, collaboration, and hands‑on engineering challenges. It was an energizing experience that strengthened our technical skills and reconnected us with the broader civil engineering community.
This symposium was especially meaningful for our chapter, as it marked the first time in five years that Carroll College has competed in the Steel Bridge Competition. Returning to this event after such a long hiatus was both exciting and rewarding. Our team successfully assembled the bridge within the required time constraints, gaining valuable insight into the fabrication process, connection rules, and coordinated construction under pressure. The experience highlighted our strengths while giving us a clear vision of where we can continue to grow.
Coming back from Anchorage, we are motivated and full of new ideas for next year’s competition season. The symposium not only showcased the creativity and dedication of student engineers across the region, but also inspired us to elevate our own design, fabrication, and construction strategies. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue strengthening our chapter’s presence in future ASCE competitions.
Many thanks to our co-presidents for many hours of organization and preparation to make this accomplishment come to fruition!
Joselyn Reisner, Junior, Civil Engineering
Chase Kilcup, Senior, Civil Engineering
Thank you to our amazing faculty for guiding the team before and in Alaska!
Dr. Ron Breitmeyer, Dr. Recep Birgul, & Dr. Shaye Bodine
