News archive
2019 PNW ASCE/AISC Conference – A huge success!
Saint Martin’s University hosted the 2019 PNW ASCE/AISC Conference, regional civil engineering competitions, the weekend of April 12-14. The event drew over 400 students from 20 universities and colleges across the states of Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington, and the province of British Columbia. It was the culmination of years of careful planning and coordination by a team of students, faculty, Saint Martin’s staff and community leaders. Student teams vied against each other in the concrete canoe competition, held out at Lacey’s Long Lake. They also competed in technical paper presentations, environmental engineering challenges, a surveying competition and the steel bridge construction challenge.
View Conference photo gallery »
Watch The Olympian's video of concrete canoe racing event »
China programs
Saint Martin’s University has two joint programs in China: North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering (NCIAE) and Zheijiang Tongji College of Science and Technology (ZTCS&T). On January 22, 2019 our campus had a visit from a delegation from Tongji to solidify this specific program. We will accept Civil Engineering students at Tongji College in the joint program beginning in fall 2019. Also in fall 2019, Tongji plans to send visiting faculty members to Saint Martin’s for three-month visits to begin collaborations with Saint Martin's partner faculty for team teaching. Tongji faculty will observe our classes and begin course planning with Saint Martin's faculty. In May 2020 and May 2021, Saint Martin's faculty will travel to China for three weeks to team teach Civil Engineering courses. For the NCIAE partnership, Saint Martin’s will be sending the following faculty to teach mathematics, physics and engineering courses from May 16-June 7: School of Engineering’s Dr. David Olwell (Dean of HIMSE), Dr. Corrie Walton-Macaulay (CE), Dr. Shawn Duan (Chair, ME), Dr. Rico Picone (ME/MME) and College of Arts & Science’s Dr. Cameron Sweet (Mathematics) and Stephen Parker (Physics). We wish them all a safe and productive adventure!
Saint Martin's wins National Big Beam again!
A team of Saint Martin’s students won first place in the national 2018 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Big Beam Competition. PCI’s 2018 Big Beam Competition included entries from colleges and universities across the U.S. This is the second consecutive year that Saint Martin’s students have placed first in this competition. The beam was constructed with the help of the team’s sponsor Concrete Technology Corporation (CTC) of Tacoma. Dr. Jill Walsh, assistant professor of civil engineering, served as the team's advisor. Team members included captains Joel Rodgers and Jarad Roschi, and Luis Camacho Placencia, Turner Kreman, Carthney Laukon, Jesse San Nicholas, Tyler Sloan and Chase Weeks. They were recognized on February 28, 2019 at the PCI Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
Engineering Banquet and Awareness Day
Our 67th Annual Engineering Banquet was held on February 22, 2019. This annual event celebrates members of our professional engineering community and societies, and Saint Martin’s students, alumni, faculty and staff. We hosted 115 attendees at this fun and informative event. This year’s keynote speaker was Jeff Peacock, President and CEO of Parametrix, a major civil engineering firm company founded by Waite Dalrymple, a current member of Saint Martin’s Board of Directors. On February 27, 2019, The Hal and Inge Marcus School of Engineering hosted over 150 students from eight high schools for Engineering Awareness Day. They started the morning with a brief orientation from Dean David Olwell, including these remarks, “Our engineering school is where we form engineers. We teach them and test them on the body of knowledge, we require engineering ethics instruction, we prepare students for licensure exams, and we model and teach about the duty to the public.” Then the students were put into smaller groups and toured through six of eight stations where they saw demonstrations in areas including environmental, robotics, gaming, concrete testing and computer-aided design.
ASCE Regions 8 & 9 Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders
Dr. Jill Walsh and five HIMSE students; Hanna Hoffman, Sarah Howsden, Jillian Leonard, Victoriya Polishchuk and Tyler Sloan attended the ASCE Regions 8 and 9 Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL) in Honolulu, Hawaii, March 8-9. The WSCL was just one part of the Multi-Regional Leadership Conference, providing an incredible opportunity for members of all levels to network with ASCE leadership and attend leadership seminars and workshops to ensure chapter success. The conference hosted over 400 attendees from 10 states.
Benedictine Scholars Program
The Benedictine Scholars Program, headed by Brothers Nicolaus and Luke (monastic representatives), Angela Carlin (staff advisor), and Dr. Floraliza Bornasal (faculty advisor), strives to represent Benedictine values, lead, and to serve the community. Twenty scholars have graduated, and twelve of the 34 current scholars are majoring in School of Engineering majors (computer science, engineering or information technology). Read full story here.
New NSBE Chapter opens
With the help of Board of Trustees member and Boeing executive Dr. George Parker and new student president Joseph Clark, the School opened Washington State's second chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in November. Member students from all STEM fields work with Boeing mentors and will plan service activities in the community, with a focus toward disadvantaged students. Interested students can join through www.NSBE.org.
School launches Engineering Speaker Series
On September 27, Mr. Tim Moore, the mega project bridge manager at Washington State's Department of Transportation, gave the inaugural presentation of the School’s Engineering Speaker Series entitled, “Digging Deeper into the Alaskan Way Viaduct Program.” Moore is a licensed professional and structural engineer, and is serving as the lead structural reviewer for that tunnel project.
Big Beam Team Wins 1st Place in National Competition
A team of seven civil engineering undergraduate and graduate students won first place in the national 2017 Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Big Beam Contest. With help from team advisor Dr. Jill Walsh and Tacoma’s Concrete Technology Corporation, students fabricated a concrete beam they named “Kraken Again” in honor of Saint Martin’s second-place-winning entry from last year. Read the full story here.
Fall 2017 Semester Begins
After 60 students graduated with bachelor’s degrees in civil and mechanical engineering and computer science in May and August, the School’s student body has rebounded with the addition of 60 first-year students, 43 transfer students, 47 certificate students and 6 international students, bringing the total to 345 undergraduates. Classes began September 5.
Congratulations to 2016-2017 students of the year Valeria Zamano (civil engineering), Cameron Woodhull-Martin (computer science), Ryan Haseman (mechanical engineering), and Saint Martin's University faculty member of the year, Dr. Floraliza Bornasal (civil engineering.)
2017 Japan Cultural Exchange Tour
One of six study abroad programs this summer was a two-week trip to Japan in May and June. Students and faculty members enjoyed the hospitality of host families while visiting three sister universities of Saint Martin’s. Included in this year’s trip was civil engineering major Joanna Johnson (shown in the photo wearing dark blue, traditional attire).
Civil engineering senior produces award-winning video
Private organization “Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington” (www.sefw.org) has awarded civil engineering senior Cleo Pineda second prize in their first “FilmWorks” competition. Cleo’s narrated video explains how engineers use teamwork and fundamental principles to “Bring Concepts to Life.”
Spring 2017 School of Engineering dean's list
At the completion of the Spring 2017 semester, 83 main campus students and 3 Extended Learning Division students earned the academic honor of being placed on the dean’s list. Nearly 1 in 3 students majoring in civil engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering earned the minimum 3.50 grade point average (GPA) required to make the list. Eleven students had the added distinction of earning GPAs of 4.00.
Saints compete at ASCE Pacific Northwest Student Conference
Saint Martin’s civil engineering students traveled to Boise State University on April 21-23, 2017, for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Northwest Student Conference. Students participated in the concrete canoe, steel bridge, and environmental engineering competitions. The concrete canoe placed 6th overall, scoring 3rd for final product and 4th in race points. The environmental team did well in their first competition entry (awaiting results as of this writing) and the steel bridge unfortunately didn't qualify for ranking this year. Additionally, the Saints came in first place in a recreational dodge ball competition hosted by Boise. Overall, the engineering students gave it their all to make this competition a memorable learning experience and represented Saint Martin's well.
Engineering professor receives microscopy research grant
The Army Research Office has awarded a multi-year research grant to Dr. Rico Picone and colleagues at Cornell University who are working to enhance magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) technology capable of 3-D imaging at the molecular level. Recent work from this collaboration has been published by the journal Review of Scientific Instruments.
Computer Science graduate presents at industry conference
Computer Science students and Department Chair Dr. Mario Guimaraes (pictured) attended the 2017 SIGCSE conference of the industry association ACM where recent graduate James Belford (also pictured) participated in the student competition with his senior project on archiving urban art.
Future Saints visit during National Engineering Week
Pictured is just one group of local high school students who visited Cebula Hall on Engineering Awareness Day to see demonstrations of engineering labs, participate in group activities and talk with seniors about their capstone design projects. Many will have the opportunity to return to the event in the future as Saint Martin’s students themselves.
Transportation Secretary addresses the Annual Engineering Banquet
On February 24, the Honorable Roger Millar shared his insights into maintaining and enhancing the state’s road, rail, ferry and air travel systems. Banquet attendees included members of the student body and faculty, university administration, the Board of Trustees and the Abbey as well as alumni, the Engineering Advisory Board and other friends and supporters of the engineering program.
Civil engineering major wins local scholarship
Civil engineering major and SCJ Alliance intern Maddie Knecht was recently awarded the Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship from the Puget Sound chapter of WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar). For more about Maddie, the SCJ Alliance and WTS, see the article at Thurstontalk.com.
Fall 2016 dean's list
During the Fall 2016 semester, 78 students earned the academic honor of being placed on the dean’s list. Students must complete at least 12 semester hours with no incomplete grades and a minimum 3.50 grade point average (GPA). Nine students had the added distinction of earning GPAs of 4.00. All are working toward completing bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.