Hey there! My name is Katie Gipson and I am the current chapter president of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) here at UT. I have been involved with ASCE since 2014. Since then, I have gained a great appreciation of ASCE’s purpose and our goal as a student chapter, which is to foster a sense of community and provide leadership opportunities for students in Civil engineering. While ASCE here at UT is a great way to be involved, it is much bigger than a college group. ASCE is a national organization that sets standards, provides professional development, and encourages innovation within Civil Engineering.
Throughout this year, our chapter has participated in several volunteer projects, held many professional development opportunities, and worked very hard on the annual conference projects. The volunteer projects have ranged from stream cleanups in Second Creek Our to CANstruction to helping with a Habitat for Humanity Build. In our General Body Meetings, we have leaders from the Civil Engineering industry and academia speak to students about the future for Civil and Environmental Engineers and the various projects their companies and research service. Outside of service and meetings, our ASCE chapter participates in the Southeast Region Student Conference where we showcase our progress as a group through competitions like Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge.
This year is beginning to wrap up with our annual conference March 16-18. Each team is given a strict set of rules to create the best product possible. This year we will be traveling to sun-shiny Florida to visit Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fl. While this is a very desirable location, it increases the overall cost to the chapter. To help mitigate our costs, we have utilized many methods for fundraising, one of which is hosting a VOLstarter Campaign. (Read more about this campaign here.)
As a chapter, our purpose is to represent the American Society of Civil Engineers and the University of Tennessee well. Each year we are able to showcase our determination and dedication to the profession while promoting the Volunteer Spirit.
I hope to leave this chapter with an excitement for innovation and a drive to better the organization of ASCE and the profession of Civil Engineering.
Check back in late March or early April to see our standings from conference
Katie Gipson