The University of Utah was proud to host the 2026 ASCE Intermountain Southwest Student Symposium on campus in April, welcoming civil engineering students from across the region for a weekend of competition, collaboration, and innovation.

One of the highlights of the symposium took place in the Union Ballroom, where students competed in the Timber-Strong Design Build competition. Teams constructed impressive two-story timber structures that showcased creativity, engineering skill, and teamwork. The University of Utah’s ASCE Student Chapter stood out with a hand-painted treehouse-inspired build that drew attention from attendees throughout the event.

The symposium also brought continued success for the University of Utah in the ASCE Construction Institute (CI) Competition. The U’s team earned 1st place for the second consecutive year, demonstrating the strength and consistency of the program.

Congratulations to:

• Birke Swanson
• Benj Tuttle
• Brendan Scott
• Team Captain Szymon Zeliszczak

Special recognition goes to Szymon Zeliszczak for receiving the Best Speaker Award during the competition.

This back-to-back championship team includes students who are active members of both the University of Utah’s AGC (Associated General Contractors) Student Chapter and the ASCE Student Chapter. Their success reflects the strong collaboration between student organizations and the dedication students bring to hands-on learning opportunities and national-level competition.

A special shoutout also goes to the University of Utah ASCE leadership team for the enormous effort that went into planning and hosting an event of this scale. Organizing the ASCE Intermountain Southwest Student Symposium was no small feat, and the success of the weekend would not have been possible without the dedication and leadership of ASCE Chapter President Sophia Speedy, faculty advisor Dr. Christine Pomeroy, and the many student volunteers and organizers who worked behind the scenes to make the event a success.

The University of Utah is honored to have hosted this year’s symposium and to celebrate the accomplishments of all participating teams and students.