Milwaukee is a natural playground for civil engineering students who are eager to design, build and maintain structures and systems to serve communities. With Milwaukee’s globally recognized infrastructure, hotbed of new urban construction and abundant natural resources, there is plenty to inspire and educate future engineering leaders.
This atmosphere made Milwaukee a perfect fit as the host city for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2025 Western Great Lakes Student Symposium, a multi-day event designed to gather like-minded students for a weekend of competition, networking and professional development. The Symposium, hosted April 10-12, was organized by student leaders from Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and UW-Milwaukee. Over three days, more than 450 engineering students from 17 universities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota and Canada descended on Milwaukee to compete, connect and learn together.
Spearheading Marquette’s role in co-hosting the events was Simon Mathiowetz, a senior civil engineering student at Marquette and Lead Student Symposium Coordinator. Mathiowetz and his collaborators began their plans in March 2024 to create a full schedule of events and rally sponsors, volunteers, judges and participants.
“My goal was to provide an experience that I could be proud of and that students would enjoy,” Mathiowetz says. “This event provides an important opportunity for students to make their way through the entire design process from an initial plan to final fabrication. The symposium also includes professional development events, opportunities to network with other students, and connect with industry professionals.”
Intercollegiate concrete canoe racing in Milwaukee waters
A signature event at ASCE’s annual student symposiums is the concrete canoe competition, which challenges student teams to design, create and race canoes made from their own special concrete mixes. Dating back to the 1970s, this competition gives students an opportunity to apply civil engineering concepts outside of the classroom while also gaining valuable experience in teamwork and project management. After months of work designing their own concrete mixes and molding them into full-size canoes, teams transported their creations to Milwaukee for a day of racing at Lakeshore State Park.
Races for the 2025 event included men’s, women’s and coed sprints and slaloms, all in the waters alongside Milwaukee’s Summerfest grounds and Henry Maier Festival Park. The temporary aquatic racecourse was made possible with the help of Marquette’s sailing team. On the beach, professional judges also inspected each canoe for its design and aesthetics, all with Milwaukee’s skyline and Hoan bridge serving as the perfect stadium backdrop.
In addition to exploring valuable civil engineering concepts, the concrete canoe competition also gives students a chance to flex their creativity. Themed designs and paintjobs on each canoe made for a quirky beachhead and easy conversation starters between students from different schools. This year, Marquette’s ASCE chapter shared their humor and personality with a Saturday morning cartoons-inspired design.
“I’m most proud of how much fun we had with our design from trying new ideas to experimenting with what we’ve already learned,” says Julia Chom, a civil engineering student and captain of Marquette’s concrete canoe team. “It’s a great way to expand on what we’ve learned in class and apply it to an interesting challenge.”
All hands teamwork to build steel bridges
Another signature event at the annual Symposiums is the steel bridge competition, organized in partnership with ASCE and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).
For the steel bridge competition, each student team developed a scale-model steel bridge to span approximately 20 feet and carry 2,500 pounds. Ahead of the competition, teams determined how to fabricate their bridges and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction conditions.
Competing on MSOE’s campus, schools took turns assembling their bridges as quickly as possible while also being judged for load testing, weight, aesthetics and additional criteria. During assembly, teammates passed materials, bolts and tools around the competition floor in a careful, coordinated rhythm. Each teammate has a specific role in a pre-planned sequence of assembly. Even their footing and posture is rehearsed to increase efficiency and maneuver around simulated water barriers and similar real-world constraints.
“From the start of the semester, we have pushed our limits and consistently lowered our construction time week by week. This progress would not have been possible without creating a space where everyone felt heard and valued,” says Jackie Kuczkowski, a civil engineering student and co-captain of Marquette’s steel bridge team.
For Marquette’s team, this assembly went from loose parts to a completed bridge in 16 minutes and 41 seconds.
“I am proud of how far we have come, not just in terms of our technical skills, but how we have grown as a unified, supportive team,” Kuczkowski says.
Making connections and building community
In addition to the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions, teams also gathered for additional civil engineering projects, paper presentations and seminars, as well as an annual volleyball tournament hosted this year in Marquette’s Helfaer Wellness + Recreation Center. The final day of the event also included a career fair for students to connect with industry partners, and a send-off banquet to celebrate their accomplishments and mingle with their wider civil engineering community.
Alongside the hundreds of students competing and socializing, dozens of industry professionals participated in the Symposium events as judges, event volunteers and mentors looking to support the region’s pipeline of future engineering leaders.
“Having so many industry partners at the Symposium is incredibly valuable because it connects students to real-world applications of what we study and opens our eyes to different career paths,” says Zack Johnson, a senior civil engineering student and President of Marquette’s chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers. “Connecting with professionals and peers helps students build relationships, get advice, and better understand what employers are looking for, making the transition to a career less overwhelming.”
