2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Surviving the Storm: An Assessment of Natural Hazards Experiential Learning Activities for Civil Engineering Students Facing a Changing World

Presented at The Real World-Project-Based & Experiential Learning

Future civil engineers need to be equipped to tackle the challenges of a changing world. The American Society of Civil Engineering highlights many needs for civil engineers of the future including a strong foundation in sustainable design, quick adoption of emerging technologies, and the ability to use innovative problem-solving strategies [1]. Education is integral in helping students develop professional skills and uniquely equipped to impact future engineers. The following paper describes the curricula and assessment tools used in a one-week summer course, introducing high school students to civil engineering concepts in sustainable designs, new technologies, and innovative problem-solving techniques. This study evaluates the course's effectiveness in motivating and encouraging students to think critically about the challenges civil engineers will face in the future. Students are exposed to challenges, including increasingly severe natural hazards, limited resources for infrastructure construction (or rehabilitation), and socio-economic barriers to equitable infrastructure access. This paper details educational components, including (1) a board game on resource allocation during a natural disaster, (2) augmented reality technologies used to visualize design and construction features, (3) a reconnaissance mission (field trip) focused on carbon footprint and alternative construction materials, and (4) an open-ended project to design a structure in an area affected by compounding hazards. The course assessment was based on student artifacts, pre- and post-course surveys, and anonymous feedback surveys. Overall, the authors found evidence that suggests students were motivated to use the concepts learned in class and have expanded their knowledge on topics related to natural hazards. These findings are essential to the civil engineering community as they inform that placing new and challenging topics in experiential learning activities can ease their implementation in the curricula. Future work will focus on revising new issues for the engineers of the future and developing activities to present them in an interactive environment.

Authors

Dr. Jose Capa Salinas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0929-7192 University of St. Thomas [biography]

Jose Capa Salinas is an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Capa Salinas has led and been involved in research projects for state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and private companies. Dr. Capa Salinas’ research interests include structural health monitoring, infrastructure inspection, drone applications, steel and concrete behavior, difficult concepts in civil engineering, and engineering education. Dr. Capa Salinas serves on professional technical committees for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and the Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-28).
Manuel Salmeron http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7262-7652 Purdue University [biography]

Manuel Salmerón is currently a 5th year PhD student in Structural Engineering at Purdue University, under the supervision of Prof. Shirley J. Dyke. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a M.Sc. in Structural Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). His research interests include cyber-physical testing, stochastic modeling of degradation phenomena, and the development of decision-making tools for socio-technical systems.
Dr. Herta Montoya http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-5957-4656 The University of Texas at San Antonio [biography]

Dr. Herta Montoya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and her B.S. in Civil Engineering from UTSA. Her research interests include the design and management of digital twins, cyber-physical testing of complex systems, and system resilience.
Dr. Morgan R Broberg http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2406-8117 University of Arkansas [biography]

Morgan Broberg is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Arkansas. Her research interests include structural steel systems and effective teaching in civil engineering.
Mr. Shivam Sharma Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Shivam Sharma is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. His research interests include the design and behavior of structural systems under extreme loading, performance-based design, computational approaches in structural engineering, and multi-hazard analysis
Hyewon Hailey Seo Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Hyewon Hailey Seo is a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at Purdue University, concentrating in construction engineering. She specializes in construction safety and advanced work packaging. Her research focuses on the neuro-ergonomic assessment of exoskeleton use in construction and the data-driven evaluation of ergonomic interventions. She has participated in research projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Construction Industry Institute (CII). She earned both her M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from South Korea.
Jorge Rojas Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University, U.S. [biography]

Jorge Rojas is a graduate research assistant in the I2Safe Lab at Purdue University. He is a student member of ASCE, CI-ASCE, PMI, and ASQ. Rojas is an APEC Professional Engineer (PE), an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) in the state of Indiana, and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) accredited by the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Construction Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. He earned his M.S. in Civil Engineering (MSCE) from Purdue University. Additionally, he holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering (BSCE) and an M.S. in Construction Technology from the National University of Engineering, Lima, Peru.
Beyond academia, Rojas has extensive international experience managing construction projects in Peru, Bolivia, and the United States.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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