Skip to content

Student Involvement

Student Organizations

Student Organizations

American Concrete Institute (ACI), Student Chapter

The American Concrete Institute Student Chapter is an active student organization that promotes engagement with the engineering, manufacturing, and heavy civil aspects of the construction industry.  We host site tours of commercial and public projects around Seattle (U-District Light Rail Station, Interbay Expedia Campus, Ash Grove Cement Plant), lectures about technological advancements and interesting developments in the Seattle market (3D Modeling, Prefabrication of Shoring Systems, the Viaduct Demolition, Lessons Learned from Big Bertha, the Waterfront Redevelopment, etc.), and social events like skeet shoots, golf tournaments and bar nights.  We closely collaborate with the Washington State ACI Chapter and have funding opportunities to attend national conferences in Chicago, Montreal, and Cincinnati, so we have plenty of great opportunities to network with industry professionals in a fun setting.
The ACI student chapter is jointly sponsored by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  Members participate in some cool experiences like exploring job sites and learning about the state of the industry.  It’s a great opportunity to climb a tower crane, speak to superintendents and foremen, and generally get comfortable out on a job site before starting an internship.

The UW AGC Student Chapter strives to provide undergraduate and graduate students interested in construction management a way to connect to the professional industry. AGC accomplishes this by exposing students to professional aspects of construction management by interacting with local professionals. AGC also organizes site visits, seminars, lectures, roundtable discussions, fundraisers, and social events for the students in the department.

The AGC provides educational resources to the industry through the AGC Education Foundation and AGC-organized events.  The University of Washington Student Chapter of the AGC received its charter in 1971.  Each year student members determine the career, educational, and social activities they would like to sponsor throughout the year.  Participation in any AGC event or educational activity makes students more marketable and brings students in contact with industry members.

Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA), Student Chapter

The MCA is a nationwide organization representing 1,800 companies in the area of commercial/nonresidential specialty construction that generates $1.5 billion in yearly revenues.  Student membership is included with ASIC membership.  The student chapter offers many opportunities for enhanced learning and networking with industry leaders.  Chapter members are eligible for scholarships (including travel to national conventions) and may attend local contractor luncheons and educational programs.  In addition, the local affiliate organization, MCA of Western Washington, hosts students on the job-site and operations tours, coordinates student internships, sponsors UW alumni events, offers fundraising opportunities for student activities, and contributes toward university equipment and facilities.

Contact: uofwamca@gmail.com

Student Competitions

Student Organizations

The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Competitions are held every February in Reno, Nevada.  Student teams from universities in the Far West Region (Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and California) compete in four categories: commercial, design-build, heavy civil, and residential. Student teams are limited to six people per competition.  The team has 16 hours to develop a solution and submit a written proposal to the problem, which may be a construction project, or a design & construct project.  Judges from the industry hear oral presentations from students about how they developed their proposal, then evaluate and score the written and oral presentations using a prescribed set of criteria.

This national student competition sponsored by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is conducted in conjunction with the MCAA annual convention.  Student teams of six develop a proposal describing the design and construction of major mechanical systems for a construction project.  Proposals are submitted in December to be evaluated by the MCAA staff, the four highest-ranked teams are invited to make oral presentations at the annual MCAA convention, at which time the winner is selected.