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Kris Crawford is a fourth-year Environmental Engin Kris Crawford is a fourth-year Environmental Engineering major. He is the new BWE President, and as many can attest, he is and will continue to do a fantastic job! Kris returned to BWE for his second year for the collaborative and professional environment: 

“ I appreciate the inclusion of professionality and ability to practice presentations for a project that typically wouldn’t require more than a report.”

Kris also stays very busy with Engineers Without Borders, where he is the Project Lead for the Bolivia Team. This past year, the team designed, traveled, and implemented various erosion control/road improvement measures, including gabion walls, cobble-lined ditches, and road grading in the village of Santa Barbara, Bolivia. They plan on working with the same community on this upcoming year’s project. 

It is no surprise that he is a big traveler in his free time, not just for humanitarian work. He is especially well-traveled within the United States, having been to 45 of the 50 states in the US with his family over the past 13 years.
Joe Dobat is a senior environmental engineering st Joe Dobat is a senior environmental engineering student. Last year, he and the EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge team designed stormwater, shoreline, and aesthetic improvements to a portion of Tech’s waterfront. 

“I enjoy how enterprise projects are collaborative in a way that incorporates people with different interests and of all kinds of expertise. I think it makes the experience gained through working on projects more valuable, insightful, and results in higher quality work.”

This year, he is the new BWE Public Outreach Chair, as well as working on a senior design project. It focused on improving the quality of the stormwater that is collected by the Huron Creek in Houghton’s commercial area by Razorback Dr and Ridge Rd. 

“I think that everyone should try and get as many different experiences as possible before they graduate, but if I had to pick just one I think the Jibba Jabba snowboarding competition is the coolest must-see winter event here. Everyone should also check out Bread Loafers next to Pat’s in Hancock, I think it’s the best local bakery around.”
On the next episode of BWE students being awesome On the next episode of BWE students being awesome over the summer: The Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Team!

Last school year, the EWB team developed a design to continue an ongoing road improvement project located in Santa Barbara, Bolivia. With the help of a professional engineering mentor, they planned to fortify a stretch of washout-prone road. So this April, the EWB Team traveled to the site to install 80 meters of rock gabions. This project is set to improve the dependability of this road for the residents who use it. 

The visit also included inspections for future projects. Depending on how the rainy season goes this year, they plan to work on an armored crossing and/or roof improvements for one of the village’s school buildings. 
#mtu #ewb #globalengineering #cege #engineerswithoutborders #mtuabroad #mtuimpact
Want to learn more about Timber Strong 🌲—ASCE Want to learn more about Timber Strong 🌲—ASCE’s Timber Design Build Competition? Come to our info meeting in Dillman 214, Monday, Sept. 8, 5:30–6:30 PM! 
#ASCE #TimberStrong
Connor Noppert is a 3rd year civil engineering stu Connor Noppert is a 3rd year civil engineering student and the new captain of the Steel Bridge team. This year, Conner has also stepped up to be the new BWE Secretary. Last year, Connor and the steel bridge competed at Iowa State University in the national competition, where they placed 15th overall. 

“What I like most about being a part of the Steel Bridge team is working in the shop with my teammates while fabricating the bridge and traveling to competitions.” 

He likes to camp, hunt, fish, shoot archery, and spend time as much time as he can in the outdoors. He suggests that all Tech students explore the vast wilderness of the Keweenaw and camp on the shores of Lake Superior.
More examples of the teams and members in BWE bein More examples of the teams and members in BWE being awesome over the summer!

In early June, the Michigan Tech Steel Bridge participated in the 2025 Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals. 

They first earned 1st in the Lightness and Efficiency categories at the regional event in April. Then they were invited to compete against other winning teams from around the country at Iowa State University. 

Michigan Tech had outstanding results again in the Efficiency and Lightness category. They finished 15th overall, an impressive victory on the national scale.

Congratulations to them on their triumphant summer! Keep updated as the team this year will continue to innovate and excel!

Thank you @michigantechcege for the pictures!

#michigantech #huskynation #civilengineering #enviromentalengineering #mtu #structuralinnovation
This upcoming Friday is the annual K-Day fair. Any This upcoming Friday is the annual K-Day fair. Anyone attending can look forward to events and gifts from student organizations! Visit the BWE team at the Steel Bridge booth. We will be there to chat and answer any questions.

Find more information and resources, like an event map at: https://www.mtu.edu/student-leadership/traditions/k-day/ 

#mtukday #mtuinvolvement #michigantech
Over the summer, there were many accomplishments a Over the summer, there were many accomplishments achieved by our BWE teams. 

The MTU Timber Strong Team set the curve this year at the 2025 ASCE Great Lakes East Symposium. This engineering competition challenges student teams to design and speed-build a 2-story wood light-framed building. 

The team’s design period and 21 practice builds paid off. They delivered a light and sturdy structure in 20 minutes, earning them first at the regional event!

This demonstration also earned them a spot in the national competition in Luis Obispo, California.

This team deserves congratulations for this victory! They have paved the way for future collaboration with the national-level Timber Strong competition.

Thank you @michigantechcege for the pictures!
Welcome to Member of Week: Where you can get to kn Welcome to Member of Week: Where you can get to know this year’s members! 

Week 1: Jocey Baughman

I am a senior civil engineering student here at MTU. This is my second year in BWE, and I am the new Digital Relations position on E-Board. I will post weekly updates on this account to keep everyone informed about this year’s events! 

Last year, I competed with my team in the EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge. I found this challenge to be right up my alley. It was a great experience to carry into my career, where I hope to work on the local community and green space improvements.

Having spent a good few years in Houghton, I would recommend that every student explore the unique historic infrastructure that still exists in the area. The Quincy Mine Tour, for example, showcases record-breaking mining equipment. 

I love to camp, swim, and be outside as much as possible. Featured in this picture is my perfect dog, Tricie! Other than her phobia of bikes and trash cans, she lives quite a carefree life.
Congratulations to all of our teams on another gre Congratulations to all of our teams on another great year in BWE! 

Here are some of the highlights from the year. Good luck to our teams still completing their projects or those who will be competing at the national level!
Save up your bottles and cans for the BWE Can Driv Save up your bottles and cans for the BWE Can Drive! Now through February 20, drop your return tickets into the team envelopes found in the BWE office. The fundraised money will go towards competition fees, travel, and supplies. The team that raises the most money will win a prize!
Meet this year’s ACRP team! The ACRP team parti Meet this year’s ACRP team!

The ACRP team participates in the Airport Cooperative Research Program’s University Design Competition. This year, our team is focusing on permeable pavement research for taxiways and aprons or other pavement solutions that may be beneficial to airports. Additionally, we are exploring other innovative pavement solutions that could improve airport sustainability and operational efficiency.

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Meet this year’s Timber Strong team! The team h Meet this year’s Timber Strong team!

The team has been using the fundamentals of the Design Thinking Process to analyze the new rules for the competition and ideate a unique design that not only meets this year’s parameters but goes above and beyond. The team is currently working on locating sponsors, constructing our report, and finalizing calculations.

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Meet the Steel Bridge team! Steel Bridge designs, Meet the Steel Bridge team!

Steel Bridge designs, fabricates, and constructs a competitive steel bridge on a yearly basis to meet a specific set of requirements and withstand a certain load.

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Meet this year’s WERC team! The WERC team will Meet this year’s WERC team!

The WERC team will be working on removing metals from mining influenced waters using fungi. The team has been researching Oyster mushrooms and working on creating a system to take out these metals through a bioreactor. The WERC team will be attending the WERC competition in April of 2025. 

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Meet this year’s EPA Campus Rainworks team! The Meet this year’s EPA Campus Rainworks team!

The EPA Campus Rainworks team’s goal is to incorporate green infrastructure and sustainable practices into the MTU campus. The team is currently ideating and narrowing down our project for this year. The areas of interest on campus include the waterfront to the portage, either by Princes Point or towards facilities. 

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Meet this year’s Engineers Without Borders team! Meet this year’s Engineers Without Borders team!

This team will be working with an underprivileged community in Bolivia to implement sustainable and cost-effective solutions in their road system that mitigate the challenges presented by the rainy season such as erosion and washout.

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
New to the BWE scene this year is Concrete Canoe! New to the BWE scene this year is Concrete Canoe! 

Concrete Canoe at Michigan Tech designs, builds, and tests a canoe made of entirely of concrete prioritizing speed, agility, and aesthetic value. The team looks for ways to keep the process sustainable, innovative, cheap, lightweight, and efficient. 

We can’t wait to see everything this team does as part of BWE this year!
Want to learn more about BWE? Visit us tomorrow in Want to learn more about BWE? Visit us tomorrow in Dillman 208 for our info session!
Come see us at K-Day!! BWE is excited for a great Come see us at K-Day!! BWE is excited for a great school year
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EERC 103
1400 Townsend Dr.
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931

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Thursday: 4:00PM–4:50PM
Friday: 3:00PM–3:50PM

About This Site

The Michigan Technological University Built World Enterprise is an enterprise program comprised of different majors. The main goal of the team is to address challenges typically solved students who have an interest in designing and building infrastructure and waste management solutions.

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