News & Events

Ask any instructor in the Civil Engineering department at the University of Idaho and they will tell you that the only way to be a good teacher is to make connections with the students, after all this is a department where professors encourage their students to ignore their office hours and just drop by whenever they like. Civil Engineering's professor and past chair Sunil Sharma PhD, PE knows that there is another component to a successful learning experience "you can have great faculty, but it also helps if you have good students," Sharma said. The University has both.

An award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) acknowledges that the university's Civil Engineering department has excellent teachers and students. The Civil Engineering department received the inaugural Walter LeFevre Award from ASCE, recognizing the department's dedication and commitment to licensure, ethics and professionalism.

“This is national recognition that we are doing something that few other institutions actually achieve,” said Ed Schmeckpeper, PhD, PE civil engineering professor and ASCE student adviser.

The award is based on the percentage of students from a civil engineering department who opt to take the national Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the percentage of students who pass the exam and the percentage of faculty in the department who are licensed engineers. Engineering graduates must pass the exam if they are to progress towards licensure as a professional engineer.

"This recognition is a testimony of the long standing position of our faculty, staff and students and many others over the past few decades towards a program focused on ethical and professional practice," said Fouad Bayomy, chair of the Civil Engineering department.

"We have professional engineers as instructors and as a result the students are highly motivated to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Not only do we have a perfect to near perfect pass rate every year, in every category of the test our students exceed the national average by 10-15 percent," said Schmeckpeper.

The department's pass rate for the exam has been almost 100 percent for the last 10 years. In contrast, the most recent results for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam show the national average pass rate at 73 percent.

The award takes into account the percentage of civil engineering faculty who are professional engineers, and at the University of Idaho that is 100 percent. Students visiting Schmeckpeper in his office will notice engineering licenses from three states hanging on his wall. In addition to teaching, Schmeckpeper is a consultant for Habitat for Humanity, and other non-profit groups, and often is called in by other engineers to collaborate on difficult projects around the region.

"Our faculty have a strong design background gained through professional experience, and I think that is reflected in how the students see us and how seriously they take the Fundamentals of Engineering test," said Sharma.

Chris Horgan, a civil engineering student and past president of the university's ASCE student chapter nominated the program for the award.

"Students are able to understand exactly where and how the theory they are learning will be used once they graduate and join the workforce," Horgan said. "In addition, faculty practice an open-door policy when it comes to office hours and make every effort to be available to answer student questions outside of class."

Horgan graduated in May 2007, and currently is a graduate student in civil engineering at the University of Idaho. He has no doubts that the knowledge and experience he gains through his degrees will give him the edge when it is job hunting time.

"I think the Civil Engineering program at the University of Idaho attracts some of the best and brightest students from Idaho, around the Pacific Northwest and even the world," Horgan said. "This combination of great faculty and students results in a good reputation for the department and some of the best engineering graduates in the region. In addition, the university has good connections with regional engineering firms and alumni, which provides students with many opportunities to find jobs once they graduate."

The award recognizes the efforts of E. Walter LeFevre Ph.D., PE, Dist.M.ASCE, a renowned educator and professional engineer, for instilling professionalism in the next generation of civil engineers.

"Continuing to protect the public's welfare in the increasingly complex world in which we live is a challenge today's engineering students will have to solve," said ASCE President David G. Mongan PE, F.ASCE. "I sincerely congratulate the University of Idaho's efforts to prepare their students for that challenge, and I strongly encourage other schools to follow their lead."

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's longest running and most distinguished national engineering society.

Interested in learning more about the College of Engineering at the University of Idaho? Are you an alumnus or alumna of the Civil Engineering department, and you would like to connect with other alumni or share information your success stories? Contact Leah Andrews at leah@uidaho.edu