RWU Construction Management Students Place Second in National Competition

RWU sent six students to Associated Schools of Construction competition in Nevada

By Hannah Kaplan '20
Construction Management student team and professor.
From left to right, RWU Professor of Construction Management Michael Emmer with Nate Dionne, Nick Morrison, Greg Pomerleau, Carl Anderson, Jon Gomes and Ruben Fonseca, who were part of the construction management team that earned second place at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6/7 competition.

BRISTOL, R.I. ­­– Construction management students from Roger Williams University earned a second-place finish in a national competition in Nevada this month.

The RWU Construction Management program sent a team of six students to the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6/7 competition in Sparks, Nev., on Feb. 7-9 to compete in the preconstruction category, which was open to any ASC member construction management program in the nation. Thirteen schools entered the competition. The University of California at Berkley finished first, and RWU took second.

“Our students did awesome,” RWU Professor of Construction Management Michael Emmer said. “We were on a national stage, competing against major institutions like the University of California at Berkley and Colorado State. They rose to the challenge, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a great way for our students to compete not just a regional level but now a national level.”

The competition involved a seismic/structural upgrade to a large parking structure at the Century City Mall in Santa Monica, Calif. This required the students to apply many of their construction management skills as well as a significant understanding of the engineering requirements in preparation for a large-scale vertical expansion. The team of RWU construction students excelled in all aspects of the competition, and the judges from PCL Construction commented on how well the students were prepared and how they reacted to project changes and challenges. 

“The performance of the construction management team at the ASC national competition clearly validates the educational experience of the RWU Construction Management program,” School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management Dean Robert Potter said. “The students involved in the competition are our best ambassadors on a national stage. I’m extremely proud of their collective accomplishments.”

Emmer is now planning to take a team of four construction management students to the United Kingdom for an international competition in November.

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