ASCE CSU Fullerton: Student Chapter at CAIS Pre-Conference Mixer, PSBC & UO Mentorship Academy Graduation
- ASCE CSU Fullerton Student Chapter
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
California Infrastructure Symposium Pre-Conference Mixer
Before the ASCE Region 9's CAIS official programming, the mixer was a great event that opened many opportunities for me as a student and created some great memories. At this event, we had the chance to meet different professionals from all over the state and country. I met this one gentleman who came from North Carolina just for this conference, and it was great just getting to know him and his experiences in the industry on an entirely other side of the country.
This event was purely a mixer where we all got together at the Altar Brewing Society and had the opportunity to meet each other and enjoy some pizza and drinks while getting to know each other. I was able to benefit from this event, getting to learn a little bit more about the infrastructure that surrounds us all the time, as well as being able to meet more professionals from different countries and different areas of engineering and learning more about people's experiences and having a great chance to socialize and get to know people on a more personal level. A definite highlight at this event was when I got the opportunity to talk to Marionne Lapitan about her experiences in the industry and how her Experience from school affected her experiences in the industry.
About the Author:
Mark Saba is a 3rd year Civil Engineering student at California State University, Fullerton. He has served as the social events chair and fundraising chair for the past two years. He has worked for Verdantas as a lab technician. Mark enjoys going on hikes and going to the beach with his friends.
31st Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition at CSULB
The Popsicle Stick Bridge is an annual event hosted by the Orange County Younger Member Forum. They brought engineering to life for aspiring engineers by hosting an event consisting of building and presenting a popsicle stick bridge and a paper structure with specific criteria. The event included participants from various high schools, and it was a great way for them to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and teamwork skills while applying their knowledge to the real world. Each group went through a rotation, participating in various activities and showcasing their engineering knowledge.
The main competition tasked teams with designing, constructing, and modeling structurally sound bridges that can withstand a continuous load being applied to each bridge that was presented. Various parameters were required to be met, such as ensuring that the bridge was strong enough, along with aesthetics and the overall efficiency of the bridge.
Another competition that the students engaged in was creating a paper structure with only 20 sheets of paper and tape. Students’ structures had to stand by themselves for a minimum of 15 seconds at a height of 3.5 feet. They were given a time frame of roughly 20 minutes to complete the activity, and it was another way for them to display their knowledge in a group setting.
Although the event was a great way for all the students to experience collaboration, it was an opportunity for the students to gain educational insight. The students were able to apply real-world principles, such as structural analysis, load distribution, and material behavior while engaging in a collaborative setting. Many of the members who attended the event served as volunteers, being able to provide insight and guidance to the students. Overall, the event was a great way for students to network with each other and the volunteers, gaining a valuable understanding of what some civil engineering looks like.
About the Author:
Christine is a third-year civil engineering major at California State University, Fullerton. With a strong interest in structural engineering and transportation engineering, she plans to intern within the disciplines to gain more experience and insight. In the academic year 2025-2026, Christine will be the Co-President of the CSUF ASCE student chapter. Some hobbies that she enjoys doing include baking and going on runs. She also enjoys going to the beach and watching the sunset. She can be reached at christinetawfik@csu.fullerton.edu if she has any questions.
University Outreach Mentorship Academy Graduation
The Mentorship Academy Graduation Dinner marked a bittersweet conclusion to an incredible Mentorship program for students as the next generation of civil engineers.
About the Author:
Nathan Pelaez is a senior Civil Engineering student at California State University, Fullerton. He served as the PSWS Symposium Chair for PSWS 2024 in University of Hawaii, Manoa. Currently, he works as an Assistant Project Manager at the City of Irvine. In addition to his academic pursuits, Nathan enjoys playing flag football, which motivated him to organize the entire CSULB x CSUF x UCI Flag Football Match.