2-19-99

Contacts:
Chuck Jahren, Engineering, (515) 294-3829
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3270

ISU TEAM WINS CONSTRUCTION CONTEST

AMES, Iowa -- A team of ISU construction engineering students won first place at the Associated Schools of Construction Region IV Competition in the Design Build Division. The contest was held in Kansas City February 6, 1999.

The students responded to a mock request for proposals for a 900- stall parking garage that would supposedly be constructed in Boise, Idaho. They spent sixteen hours in a hotel room with four computers, two printers and a plotter to develop a fifty-page proposal and four computer drawings. Thirty-five hours later, the students made a presentation in support of their proposal to a group of industry judges who were involved in construction of the actual project. This is the second year in a row that ISU's design build team won this honor.

In addition to design build, the contest had separate division for commercial construction and heavy highway. ISU teams placed in both of these events. The commercial team placed second in tight competition out of a field of nine schools.

The heavy construction team took third place for their proposal to mitigate a complex soil problem for a freeway construction project with a challenging deadline.

ISU civil and construction engineering faculty members Charles Jahren, Jim Rowings, Mark Federle and Gary Smith coached the teams.

Nineteen teams from ten universities competed representing the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.

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Editors: Names of the ISU engineering students who participated in the construction contest are listed below by team and hometown.

DESIGN-BUILD

Harper's Ferry: Dominic Punelli
Des Moines: Andrew Loss
Muscatine: Travis Koch
Prairie City: Matthew Gumm
Tama: Emily Kunz
Las Vegas, Nevada: Gregory Burda

COMMERCIAL

Council Bluffs: Jeff Andrews
Dubuque: Michael Callahan, Jeffrey Knepper
Sanborn: Aimee Seivert
Scarville: Jeff Penning
Blair, Nebraska: Ryan Nelson

HEAVY CONSTRUCTION

Ames: Garret Nordyke
Boone: Benjamin Lovin
Lawler: Travis Kuehner
Mount Pleasant: Matt Proctor
Norwalk: Timothy Tometich
Van Meter: Steven Edwards

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