Kiewit

Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program bridges students to the infrastructure workforce

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 21:15:32 +0000

Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program bridges students to the infrastructure workforce Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 07/11/2024 - 15:15

Zoe Kresek (CivEng’23) had a passion for design and construction from an early age. She would sit for hours building marble runs and Lego creations.

As she advanced in her education, she knew engineering was the best path to match her interests. However, determining a specific area of focus and where to apply her engineering education was more evasive. As part of the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program, she visited the Central I-70 construction site, where she went underground and viewed the pipe structures. This experience piqued her interest in water resources and helped narrow the focus of her civil engineering major.

“I’d seen many pictures and videos of engineering, but being on the site gave me a completely different perspective. Going down into the ground and seeing the ginormous pipes was the highlight of the trip for me,” said Kresek.

Since the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars Program launched at CU Boulder in 2020, it has given engineering students an inside view of the design and construction industry. This month, Kiewit Corporation extended the program for five years with a generous $2.5 million investment, demonstrating a sustained commitment to the success of students.

Building the engineering workforce pathway

Each academic year, 25 to 35 students participate in the program, which includes financial aid, industry mentorship, guaranteed internship offers and professional development programming. Programs that support students’ professional development are especially important to address the problem of aging and deteriorating infrastructure systems in the U.S.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) most recent Report Card for America’s Infrastructure in 2021 rated infrastructure in the U.S. at a C-. The government is working to improve infrastructure systems through legislation. However, according to a 2023 article from ASCE, civil engineering firms find it challenging to hire and retain the skilled employees needed for the infrastructure work that is suddenly available.

The Kiewit program is helping to educate the future workforce needed to tackle these issues by helping students understand how to apply their education to their future careers. Students like Kresek can participate in internships and receive support in their search for a full-time position through resume workshops, interview practice and mentorships.

“At Kiewit, we believe in the value of leadership development for those entering the construction and engineering industry,” said John Donatelli, president of Infrastructure Engineers for Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. and executive sponsor for the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program at CU Boulder. “Our partnership with CU Boulder and, importantly, the programming and mentoring we provide to the students is one more step we are taking toward building a pipeline of well-rounded future industry leaders.”

Offering mutually beneficial solutions

Reaching students at the college level benefits the university, students and Kiewit.

“With their Lone Tree headquarters right in our backyard, we can tap into their knowledge. We invite experts from Kiewit into the classrooms to share their experiences and lessons learned with our students,” said Chris Senseney, associate teaching professor and director of the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program at CU Boulder.

By participating in the education process, Kiewit helps develop the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in the workforce. Likewise, CU Boulder has a strong civil engineering department, which is even more robust when students can access industry experts and internship opportunities.

The investment pays off for students like Kresek. After graduation, she accepted a position as a drainage engineer with Kiewit Engineering Group, Inc. in Lone Tree, Colorado. This demonstrates that Kiewit’s investment at CU Boulder produces the engineers needed to meet industry demand and solve critical infrastructure problems.

“The Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program is an extraordinary model for engineering workforce development, rooted in our shared vision and goals,” said Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “Kiewit and CU Boulder are dedicated to creating the highest caliber and most diverse group of engineers to address the pressing infrastructure challenges of our time.”

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Unstoppable: Gabrielle Dunn honored as overall Outstanding Undergraduate of the College

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2024 23:11:03 +0000

Unstoppable: Gabrielle Dunn honored as overall Outstanding Undergraduate of the College Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/07/2024 - 17:11

Susan Glairon

Civil engineering major Gabrielle Dunn’s dedication to academic, personal and professional development, as well as to support her peers, has earned her the 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate of the College award.

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Emma Andreasen: The road to Outstanding Undergraduate

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:19:25 +0000

Emma Andreasen: The road to Outstanding Undergraduate Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/02/2022 - 13:19

Susan Glairon

While growing up in a small rural town, Emma Andreasen wasn’t exposed to computing. Today she's a teaching assistant for an Intro to Engineering Computing course and recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Undergraduate of the College Award.

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Kiewit scholar comes full-circle in fifth year

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 18:27:49 +0000

Kiewit scholar comes full-circle in fifth year Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/17/2021 - 12:27

Mary Kate McCandlish

Mario Hanson graduated from CU Engineering in the class of 2021 with a degree in civil engineering and a minor in engineering management. While his first year challenged him, it was in his fifth year of school that his passion for engineering ignited.

In his last year, he was able to focus on his minor and received a scholarship as part of the Kiewit Design-Build Program. If Hanson hadn’t taken a fifth year, he wouldn't have received the scholarship, which ultimately led to his job with Kiewit after graduation.

His interest in civil engineering began in high school when he became fascinated with looking at roads, structures and historic buildings and wondering how they were put together.

“How are these standing the test of time? I look at old historic buildings or beautiful concrete bridges from the 1930s and all these different kinds of structures and designs, and there’s a story behind them,” Hanson said. “I want to see how things today are being created, and I want to see the process behind it.”

His curiosity led him to pursue civil engineering in his first year at CU Boulder. The plan was to graduate in 2020, but his first year was more challenging than he expected.

“Freshman year was really one of the most important parts of my entire education,” he said. “Sometimes the first year is the most difficult year because it took time for me to learn and understand what it meant to grow in knowledge.”

Fast forward to Hanson’s last year, when the Kiewit Design-Build Program was first introduced in his Professional Issues class. He was attracted to the program because of its flexibility. Hanson describes Kiewit as a unique company with many different jobs that are tailored to each individual’s skills and talents.

As part of the scholarship program, Hanson began on-site visits to places like the central I-70 site and drainage pump facility. The Central 70 Project will reconstruct a 10-mile stretch of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road, with Kiewit as the contractor.

Those field trips provided a clearer picture of life as an engineer. It was important for someone like Hanson, who is interested in the design aspect, to understand the work happening in the field. He also visited one of the Kiewit training facilities for more hands-on experiences, where he got to weld for the first time.

Because of the pandemic, the field trips were even more valuable as classroom experience was limited. It gave Hanson insight into what he wanted to do for his career.

Things came full circle in Hanson’s senior design class, where the project for the year was centered on the Central 70 project that he had visited with Kiewit. Hanson credits this class for opening his mind to all the ways to be creative in engineering, a moment that didn’t come until his last semester senior year.

“I had this mindset around engineering that it had no creativity involved because things have to be done a certain way,” he said. “Throughout my years at CU Boulder, I learned that I have the power to help the world using my creativity and apply it in a way that is not only going to help others and be economically beneficial, but also in creative ways that people may not have seen before. I want to do something like that.”

It was a mentor in the Kiewit-Design Build Program who told him about a job he’d never heard about called Roadway Design Engineer, which ended up being the path he took after graduation. Hanson will be working in-person at the new Kiewit location in Lone Tree, Colorado.

“Even though I graduated in five years, I made the most of it,” Hanson said. “I got to take lighter credit loads to maximize efforts. Some people might see it as a weight, but I see it as an uplifter.”

Mario Hanson is a recent CU Boulder graduate who was one of the Kiewit scholars and is now working for Kiewit.

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Kiewit Scholar builds wealth of knowledge

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:29:33 +0000

Kiewit Scholar builds wealth of knowledge Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/10/2021 - 09:29

Mary Kate McCandlish

Kellisha Ostler

Kellisha Ostler is building toward a promising career through bridges, internships and the support of Kiewit, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering businesses. A junior in civil engineering at Colorado Mesa University, she’s earning a CU Boulder engineering degree through the CU/CMU partnership.

This year, Kellisha participated in the Student Steel Bridge Competition. Hosted by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the competition engages students from universities across the country to compete in designing and constructing a steel truss bridge. Scoring is based on aesthetics, timed construction, the weight of the bridge, its ability to support 2500 lbs, and team work during the build.

The team began their design in February 2021. The fabrication phase took two and half weeks and executing the build took a total of two months. The COVID-19 pandemic added a new twist to the competition as students were unable to travel. Typically, the competition is hosted by a different university each year, and students in the Rocky Mountain region would have been traveling to Brigham Young University.

Instead, AISC offered a Compete from Campus option. This meant appointing local judges of either professors, local engineers, steel fabricators, or others familiar with the competition rules. The team also had to find a large enough space to build the bridge and secure all of the building materials. Different stages of the competition were filmed and photographed to be submitted along with the judges’ rankings to AISC.

In CMU’s first year competing, the team placed first in aesthetics in their region and third overall in the region. Ostler already has plans for improvements for next year based on what they learned.

Ostler also has three internships under her belt, and a fourth one happening this summer. She interned for Kiewit the summer before her junior year on the Connect 4 project, which is connecting four major highways outside of Dallas, Texas. As a grading engineering intern she worked with the foreman on lime maps and lime layouts. She also played a role in surveying pavement extents and got to see the bridge demo. During this internship she got to work with construction equipment including a steel drum roller, a 7-40 loader, and a blade. Ostler will be returning to Kiewit this summer as an Estimating Intern, working on an escape truck ramp in Vail, CO.

Following her internship with Kiewit, Ostler heard about the Kiewit Scholars Program. She was already familiar with the company and knew she would make a good fit for the scholarship program.

The Kiewit Design Build Program provides annual scholarships for 40 students. Honorees are mentored by Kiewit employees, have opportunities for internships, and can participate in service-learning experiences. As part of the experience this year, the scholars visited the I-70 central site for a tour. The Central 70 Project is working on reconstructing a 10-mile stretch of highway between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road which Kiewit is the contractor for.

Kellisha Ostler, third from left, and team at the I-70 central visit site.

“I see a lot of value in visiting the construction sites,” Ostler said. “As an engineer I have heard from multiple different people that if you don’t understand what is happening in the field and you’re the person sitting in an office designing something on paper it might not actually work. I look forward to more on site visits with Kiewit next year.”

The future engineer has other industry experience as well. She worked with the city of Fruita on designing a half a mile stretch of road for kids to walk to school on as opposed to walking on dirt. With the city of Grand Junction, she and her team pioneered an on-street handicap-accessible parking space for which there are no guidelines from The Americans with Disabilities Act or the state of Colorado. Making improvement within a community is central to Ostler’s mission and something she plans on continuing when she graduates.

“I’ve always loved the problem-solving and creativity side of engineering. Engineering is inherent in everything we do,” Ostler said. “What I love the most is that what I do with these projects when they come to fruition is they benefit the community. It is satisfying to know that what you do makes a difference.”

Ostler is interested in pursuing a job with Kiewit after she graduates in the spring 2022. She sees herself working as a project engineer in the transportation industry and on solutions to problems that probably don’t exist yet. Whatever she does, Ostler will be solving real world problems in new ways.

Kellisha Ostler is building toward a promising career through bridges, internships and the support of Kiewit, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering businesses.

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Daily Camera: Kiewit, CU Boulder begin student engineering program

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:30:37 +0000

Daily Camera: Kiewit, CU Boulder begin student engineering program Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/23/2020 - 13:30

A new program at the �� connects engineering students with internships, scholarships and mentoring opportunities at Kiewit, a national construction, engineering and mining company.

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Innovative partnership prepares infrastructure engineers

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 17:19:17 +0000

Innovative partnership prepares infrastructure engineers Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/17/2020 - 10:19

Julie Chiron

Through the program, Kiewit makes a five-year commitment to support up to 40 students each year with significant annual scholarships as well as enhanced academic and professional development opportunities, including internships, service-learning experiences, research projects and mentorship. The program is designed to graduate well-rounded engineers and builders prepared to tackle our nation’s infrastructure demands.

“As Colorado’s flagship university, CU Boulder and the College of Engineering and Applied Science are proud to partner with Kiewit to educate our next generation of design-build engineers to address our nation’s infrastructure challenges,” said Keith Molenaar, interim dean of the college. “This partnership builds on 50 years of construction engineering and management at the �� and accelerates our long-term relationship with Kiewit. The program will prepare our engineers for an exciting career that makes an impact on the quality of life in Colorado and throughout the nation.”

A novel model

Above: Students from the civil engineering senior design class with Kiewit and Denver Water teams at Northwater Treatment Plant on CO93 near Golden.
Top: The inaugural cohort of Kiewit Scholars. From left to right, top to bottom: Brandon Chavez, Kyle McDonnell, Luis A. Munoz, Alexandrea Wilson, Erick Quintanilla, Alia Ramirez, Daniel Donado, Joshua Murphy, Meredith Jane Kee, Mario Hanson, Dominic Renteria, Giovanni Hernandez, Jessica Ramos, Michael Seamon, Morgan Hollenback, Erin Patricia Keefe.

This partnership, a novel model for university-corporate relationships, illustrates Kiewit’s commitment to innovation and elevates the relationship between the university and a significant contributor to the Colorado economy.

The company is providing immediate impact to students by awarding the first 16 Kiewit Design-Build Scholarships as part of the program launch. Twenty-four additional scholarships will be announced in the spring. In the first year, students will participate in several activities to guide them in their education and career. Each student will participate in a mentorship program where they will learn from senior industry leaders, recent graduates and their peers. Students will visit local construction projects and will get exposure to the wide range of career paths that encompass infrastructure engineering and construction.

”The Kiewit partnership and their generous contribution couldn’t come at a better time,” said Matt Morris, senior instructor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. “Several of our students are facing hardship and uncertainty due to the pandemic. The scholarships are keeping our students in school, focused on graduation. The mentorship and professional growth opportunities will provide much-needed stability and a positive outlook for our students.

“Beyond the short-term benefits, this program is robust and will provide a clear path for students to develop their skills and join the infrastructure engineering and construction industry. We can’t thank Kiewit enough for their support and collaboration in building this program.”

Inaugural cohort

Jessica Ramos is a junior civil engineering student and a member of the inaugural cohort of Kiewit scholars. Her mother, a geotechnical engineer, instilled in her a love for STEM and an interest in civil engineering that motivated Ramos to pursue her career path. In her first year at CU Boulder, she was appointed to a lab researching seismic resiliency in pipelines, and now she continues to help lead the project’s research.

“I used to say I wanted to be a doctor so I can help people,” said Ramos. “Now I see that through engineering, I’m helping communities to still have access to basic needs like water after a disaster.”

Ramos said she is thrilled to be selected as a Kiewit Design-Build scholar and says the company has been on her short-list of dream employers since she was 16 and learned of Kiewit through the North American Society for Trenchless Technology conference she attends annually.

“Receiving the scholarship took the pressure off of me to figure out how I’m paying for next semester,” said Ramos. “I’m so excited to get to know them more on a closer level and not just be a name on a paper to them. They will get to know who I am.”

Ready from day one

Students in the program will receive specialized educational opportunities through Kiewit-Ready and Kiewit Badge tracks that will prepare them for careers in infrastructure design and construction with 21st-century, market-ready skills.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card gave our nation’s infrastructure a grade of “D+” and a "C+" for Colorado’s infrastructure. With expected industry growth of 31% and more than 45,000 construction jobs to fill by 2027 in Colorado, according to BuildColorado partnership, students with these skills will be in high demand.

Michael Seamon is a junior studying architectural engineering with a dual emphasis in structural engineering and construction engineering and management. Four years ago, after reaching a ceiling in the food industry, he reevaluated his skills and interests and knew that engineering would be a field where he would excel and find joy. That put him on path to his current studies.

Seamon had been working 40 hours a week to fund his studies until both he and his wife were laid off recently from the same company due to COVID-19. Fearing he might have to postpone his studies, Seamon called being selected as a Kiewit Design-Build Scholar a blessing.

“I didn’t know how I was going to finish, let alone pay rent,” said Seamon. “Kiewit came to the rescue.”

Seamon wants to join a large company like Kiewit after graduation so that he can apply what he’s learned to the real world and promote sustainable building practices.

“I was raised as a Boy Scout with a leave-no-trace ethic and leaving something better than you found it,” he said. “That’s the same concept as being able to create a better environment for people that isn’t going to be a problem for the generation under me. I want to create better infrastructure for society that will make sense in the long run for humanity.”

Building on the expertise of CU Boulder’s nationally distinguished Construction and Engineering Management Program and a successful long-term relationship with the university, Kiewit is launching this program in conjunction with establishing a new regional headquarters campus in Lone Tree, Colorado. The university is proud to build this program together with Kiewit and provide students clear and supportive pathways to successful careers in construction and engineering.

The nation’s infrastructure challenges have been and will continue to be a concern for many years to come. That’s why the �� has partnered with Kiewit, one of the nation’s largest construction and engineering organizations, to launch the Kiewit Design-Build Program. Through the program, Kiewit will support up to 40 students each year with significant annual scholarships as well as enhanced academic and professional development opportunities, including internships, service-learning experiences, research projects and mentorship.

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