Civil Engineering

The ASCE SIUE Student Chapter played an active and important role in the 2026 ASCE Mid-America Student Symposium, held April 9–11, 2026, in Carbondale, Illinois. The symposium was co-hosted by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and brought together civil engineering students from universities throughout the region for technical competitions, professional activities, and opportunities for networking and collaboration.

SIUE’s involvement extended well beyond participation in the competitions. More than 30 SIUE students contributed to the preparation, organization, and successful execution of the symposium. Students assisted with fundraising and collecting financial support for the event, planning and coordinating symposium activities, preparing for the competitions, and helping run and manage several of the competitions during the symposium. Their involvement required substantial teamwork, communication, organization, and coordination with students, faculty, sponsors, and other participants. Through these responsibilities, SIUE students gained valuable experience in leadership, event management, fundraising, professional communication, and service to the broader engineering community.

In addition to helping organize the symposium, SIUE students represented the university in several technical and design competitions. The chapter achieved several notable results, including 2nd place in the 1st and 2nd Year Design Competition, 3rd place in the FE Quiz Bowl, 3rd place overall in Concrete Bowling, 3rd place in Steel Bridge Aesthetics, and 4th place overall in the Steel Bridge Competition.

The SIUE Steel Bridge Team was one of the chapter’s major competition groups. Each year, the team designs, fabricates, and constructs an approximately 20-foot-long steel bridge capable of supporting 2,500 lb. At the symposium, the team earned 4th place overall, as well as 3rd place in Aesthetics, 4th place in Economy, 4th place in Stiffness, and 4th place in Construction Speed. These activities provided students with hands-on experience in structural engineering, design optimization, fabrication, construction sequencing, teamwork, and project management.

The symposium also supported renewed student involvement in the Concrete Canoe Competition. The SIUE Concrete Canoe Team designs, constructs, and races a roughly 20-ft-long canoe made of cementitious materials, and 2026 marked the return of the activity after more than five years. Students were also exposed to a broad range of additional ASCE competition opportunities, including the 3D Printing Competition, UESI Surveying Competition, Sustainable Solutions Competition, Construction Institute Competition, and Timber-Strong Design Build Competition.

Overall, the ASCE SIUE Student Chapter's involvement in the 2026 Mid-America Student Symposium represented a substantial combination of student leadership, professional service, technical competition, and experiential learning. As one of the co-host institutions, SIUE students helped make the symposium possible while simultaneously representing the university successfully in regional competitions. The participation of more than 30 students in fundraising, preparation, organization, competition management, and technical events demonstrates the chapter's strong engagement and provided students with practical experiences that complemented their classroom education while strengthening their leadership, teamwork, communication, and engineering skills.