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The MTU Engineers Without Borders team has done a The MTU Engineers Without Borders team has done a fantastic job this year optimizing their efforts towards their long term goal: supporting their patterned communities with thoughtfully engineered solutions! The EWB members dedicated to the Santa Barbara, Bolivia partnership have not only been monitoring the success of last summer’s road fortification project, but also preparing for next year’s schoolhouse roof revitalization project. 
 
Throughout the 2025-2026 year, defining the scope of the schoolhouse roof project has involved the planning, preparation, and execution of activities necessary to rebuild or repair the roof in response to community needs. The assessment of the roof will be conducted by members of the community and should be occurring around the start of May. Furthermore, the team has compiled an extensive list of inspection materials that will be used during the assessment. Once they receive the results of the remote inspection for the school’s roof, they plan to meet with a new Professional Engineer contact to discuss the course of action for alternative analysis ideation.

This team deserves the recognition for their hard work and dedication to this worthwhile project and we can’t wait to see how the project progresses in the upcoming years!
This year’s MTU WERC Competition Team deserves con This year’s MTU WERC Competition Team deserves congratulations and recognition for their outstanding accomplishments! They attended the WERC Environmental Design Contest on April 12-15, presenting their research and design results: winning 1st in their category for their bench-scale demonstration! 

Their specific category challenged teams to reduce water loss through evaporation without compromising cooling tower performance or day-to-day operations of the power plant in water-scarce areas. The team selected the Palo Verde Generating Station, located in Tonopah, Arizona, to model their climate and day-to-day operation considerations after. 

The WERC Team developed an impressive louver system final design: where optimized geometric and material parameters encourage cycles of chilled water to be collected. Throughout the fabrication and modeling process, an estimated 4% increase in water retention between the control and louver system was observed. The team ultimately concluded that the design would provide their modeled location 1 million gallons of water collected a day, saving $7.2 million in water costs!
Over the past weekend, the MTU Timber Strong Team Over the past weekend, the MTU Timber Strong Team presented the structure they have been working on all year! Throughout the year, the team strove for structural innovation, craftsmanship, and creativity. 

At the 2026 Eastern Great Lakes ASCE Student Symposium, the team earned 2nd place overall and won 1st in Best in Show! 

This achievement highlights the team’s ability to overcome challenges, collaborate, and efficiently build their 2-story wooden structure. The Timber Strong Team did an amazing job!!
The MTU Concrete Canoe team has done an amazing jo The MTU Concrete Canoe team has done an amazing job creating a final project that has taken 1st overall at the ASCE Eastern Great Lakes Regional competition. After casting the canoe in January, the team has worked countless hours in the lab to make Yoopdrasil come to life in many aspects. From the finishing of the canoe through sanding, staining, and sealing. To the stands & display team that made a full display showcasing the overall project, this final prototype made its way to regionals last week to show off what the team has accomplished over the 2025-2026 year. 

Taking 1st place in both women’s slalom and sprint races, 2nd place in men’s slalom, sprint, coed races, 2nd in paper and final product. This team will now make the journey at the end of June to Fairmont State University to compete in the national competition.
It was a great weekend to be a husky: the MTU Stee It was a great weekend to be a husky: the MTU Steel Bridge team dominated at the 2026 ASCE Eastern Great Lakes Steel Bridge Competition! The team’s results truly speak for themselves:

1st Overall | 1st in Stiffness | 1st in Cost Estimation | 1st in Structural Efficiency | 1st in Construction Economy | 1st in Construction Speed | 3rd in Lightness 

The bridge design they prepared over the past two semesters demonstrated their dedication to optimizing its structural performance within the competition specifications. The fabrication team completed an efficient assembly under timed construction conditions, with a regional build time of 7.95 minutes!

The Steel Bridge Team did a fantastic job representing the devotion and technical ability of MTU engineering students! Placing in the top three at regionals is a significant achievement, let alone nearly taking home all 1st place for 7 different judging categories. Wish them luck as they prepare for the national competition this summer!!
The competition based BWE teams, Timber Strong, Co The competition based BWE teams, Timber Strong, Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and WERC, have been working all year for these upcoming events! They are each participating in their respective challenges using the impressive submittals and designs they have developed. Wish them luck as they travel and compete!!
This is Toshi Skibinski, a 3rd-year Civil Engineer This is Toshi Skibinski, a 3rd-year Civil Engineering student here at MTU, and a 1st-year member of BWE and the MTU Timber Strong Team. As one of many new members of Timber Strong, Toshi has been doing a fantastic job getting involved and learning the fabrication/digital design process. 

Outside of these projects, Toshi loves spending time with the sweetest dog, Milo, seen in the second image! Along with getting out and exploring the Keweenaw, suggesting that all MTU students take the time to: 

“Drive along M203 during February and March. There’s a spot by Bear Lake road where deer tend to gather, and it’s nice to be able to see them!”
The MTU Timber Strong Team is working hard to prep The MTU Timber Strong Team is working hard to prepare for the ASCE Timber-Strong Design Build Competition. Since the last check with this team, they have turned in all deliverables for their two-story timber structure. 

Fabrication is nearly complete, as seen in the pictures above! During weekly build sessions, they are framing, sheathing, and optimizing the structure in preparation for the upcoming regional competition. They have started completing practice builds, which has been a considerable process, as 4 out of the 6 build team members are new this year. Their goal at competition is to build their structure in 25 minutes!

The Timber Strong team has been doing a great job, so stay updated to see thier hard earned results!

#timberstructures #timberstrong #woodendesign #ascecompetition
Built World Enterprise is structured to get our me Built World Enterprise is structured to get our members into the community and engaging with the CEGE department as much as possible. Preview Day, this Saturday, is a great event for prospective students to see campus and talk with current students! Members are able to volunteer their time to led tours around the CEGE building. There is also the enterprise show case, where many different enterprises show off their achievements!
Here is a much-needed update on the MTU’s WERC Tea Here is a much-needed update on the MTU’s WERC Team progress, as they have made significant progress from the start of this semester. They have been working toward a design that will ultimately be taken to the WERC Environmental Design Contest at New Mexico State University this upcoming April. They are working to raise funds to cover this travel cost, and there will be future information on how to help!

The WERC team, through research and professional contacts have been able to create a retrofit design for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Cooling Towers in Tonopah AZ. The design includes a 3D Onshape model, material considerations, and a bench scale model in process (which is what these pictures show)!
This is Nick Bushman (on the left), a 4th year who This is Nick Bushman (on the left), a 4th year who is pursuing an Environmental Engineering degree, with a minor in Humanitarian Engineering. He’s in his second year with BWE and has been a very active member of MTU’s Engineerings Without Borders Team! His fellow co-leader of BWE, Kris, is one his right. These two make a great team!

Nick has been to Bolivia with EWB twice, the first time was in August of 2023. The first trip we installed a armored crossing and surveyed the area for future projects. During the second trip in May 2025 the team installed gabion basket retaining walls to prevent seasonal road washouts. 

“I enjoy working with our partner community to design projects that are beneficial.”

Outside of classes, Nick is often collecting rocks on the local beaches, having found a pretty decent yooperlite collection!
Here we have the MTU Steel Bridge Team continuing Here we have the MTU Steel Bridge Team continuing to work on fabricating their 2026 AISC Steel Bridge Competition bridge! More technical details about their current progress will be given below:

Since the Fall semester, the team has made considerable progress, including completing the digital design using Ram Elements and creating a 3D model of the bridge in Onshape. Fabrication has progressed through the fundamental welds, such as stringer and double truss banana connections, which have been completed. Additionally, both spans of the bridge are built and tack-welded.  

The MTU Steel Bridge Team has shifted focus to implementing properly oriented connections to ensure fully assembled rigidity. The build team will soon strive to reach their goal of 60 practice builds before the regional competition.

#steelbridge #mtusteelbridge #mtuhuskies
It’s always an honor to get to show off the full B It’s always an honor to get to show off the full Built World Enterprise team! BWE relies on members that are willing and capable of going above and beyond during their undergraduate degree. This semester we have 35+ high achieving students as members, who all add a diverse set of skills/knowledge to this enterprise. Each person in this picture are also kind, compassionate, and outstanding individuals. 

On a personal note: getting to know these members has reassured me about the future of construction management, environmental, civil, and geospatial engineering! I hope to continue collaborating with these future professionals and others who match the standard they have set.
Join current BWE members of the team for a fun eve Join current BWE members of the team for a fun event this upcoming Thursday 02/26! There will be pizza for any visitors, and member from each BWE team will be in attendance to answer any questions!
 
#bwe #enterprise #pizza #freefood #mtufoodandsocial
Troy Pape is a 3rd year here at MTU and he is majo Troy Pape is a 3rd year here at MTU and he is majoring in Civil Engineering. This is his first year in BWE and has been a great addtion! He is part of the MTU Concrete Canoe team where they: “make a 20 foot canoe made entirely from concrete (Yes it floats, and yes we race it!)” He has upped his involvement this year by taking on the role of Concrete Canoe Mix Design Lead. 

 “I enjoy the critical thinking and teamwork that stems from Concrete canoe and BWE”

Outside of this entprise and team project, he is involved in many other student orginaztions on campus. Beyond his eduational prusuits he enjoys simple pleasures like playing guitar hero on the Wii!
Join members of the BWE team this Thursday for Ent Join members of the BWE team this Thursday for Enterprise Day 2026! This is an opportunity to explore the ALL different enterprises MTU has to offer. 

It’s from 6:00-8:00 PM, with a plenty of time to go and ask different teams questions and learn about their current projects. It is open to all students, we hope to see you stop by! 
#mtu #mtuenterprise
This is Izzy Endsley’s 4th year of college and her This is Izzy Endsley’s 4th year of college and her first here at Michigan Tech. She is majoring in Environmental Engineering and is a particparting in the MTU WERC Environmental Design Contest Team. She has done a fantatic job getting involed within this team as well as BWE events! 
 
“This is my first semester at Tech so being able to get to know more people has been nice. I also enjoy collaborating with my teammates and expanding my knowledge on this years task!”

Outside of enterprise, Izzy is a member of SWE and the Mushing Club here at Tech. When not girlbossing, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and having a pasty at Roy’s!
Built World Enterprise relies on support from our Built World Enterprise relies on support from our wonderful sponsors! This post is dedicated to honoring our general sponsors, who have generously contributed to the overall enterprise. Our individual teams are also supported by other companies/organizations and a list of these can be found on our Sponsor page on the BWE website!
Last Thursday’s class period was dedicated to our Last Thursday’s class period was dedicated to our first Spring 2026 Oral Progress Report! During this time, the senior BWE members presented their current progress on their individual Senior Design Projects. 

This enterprise specific process modifies the traditional MTU Capstone Project path by allowing members to choose their project’s theme, scope, and deliverables. This project structure also reinforces the BWE goal of preparing our members for the self-reliance expected in the workplace: members are expected to have check-ins with our wonderful advisor, Dr. Morse, and address peer questions asked during our Oral Progress Reports.
Liam Silverman is in his 4th year of an Environmen Liam Silverman is in his 4th year of an Environmental Engineering major here at MTU. He has taken on the considerable responsibility of President/BWE Team Lead of Concrete Canoe, and is doing a great job! This is his 3rd semester in BWE:

“I love that BWE gives different teams a space to interact and collaborate and gives us opportunities to form bonds between different project teams.”

When he is not busy with schoolwork or projects, Liam can be found outside collecting rocks, having found copper, agates, and other rare minerals here in the UP! After camping up in High Rock Bay or the surrounding area, he highly recommends: 

“Go with some friends and set up a tent at what feels like the edge of the world. The stars are amazing, and if you’re lucky, the northern lights are the best you’ll ever see.”
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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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