Abstract & Overview
Engineering students at our university experience a project-based curriculum and work on many community projects during their academic careers.The civil engineering program has been able to engage students from freshmen to seniors in projects that are badly needed by the local community.Our city engineer wanted a device to record high water marks (crest gages).Ten were constructed by two civil engineering freshman experience classes learning to use machine shops.Several of the gages have been installed at locations around the city and are providing data that will be used to calibrate watershed models developed by a senior hydrology class.Elementary surveying students (freshmen) and advanced surveying students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) developed topographic surveys of sinkholes prone to flooding.These maps were used by hydrology classes for models to improve flood maps for the community.These maps are sorely needed because of the poor quality of existing maps.For example, when flood zones were superimposed on topographic data, one end of a sinkhole flood zone was 6 m higher than the other end.Once the flood maps are revised, several homes will be moved into flood zones and residents with federally-backed mortgages will be required to obtain flood insurance.To assist the residents, surveying classes performed surveys so the residents could estimate the cost of flood insurance.All of these projects engage students at all levels and provide valuable learning experiences.In particular, freshmen gain a better understanding of the work of civil engineers through these projects.