Skip to content
Built World Enterprise

Built World Enterprise

  • Home
  • About
  • Teams
    • Concrete Canoe
    • Engineers Without Borders
    • EPA Rainworks Challenge
    • Steel Bridge
    • Timber Strong
    • WERC Environmental Design Competition
  • Enterprise
  • News
  • Sponsors
  • Calendar
  • Contact

News

Newsletters

Download:

Fall 2025 Newsletter

Download:

April 2024 Newsletter

Download:

February 2024 Newsletter

Download:

Overall 2023 Newsletter

Download:

November 2023 Newsletter

Download:

March 2023 Newsletter

Download:

December 2022 Newsletter

Download:

October 2022 Newsletter

Socials

bwe.mtu

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.”
Last Thursday, during our class time, there was a Last Thursday, during our class time, there was a special presentation from Dr. Yousef Darestani about professional/technical report writing. As our individual teams are approaching their report submission deadlines, this BWE class time was dedicated to the effective presentation of graphs and figures. Dr. Darestani is an Assistant Professor for the CEGE department with significant experience in professional level report writing. He ran the class through one of his published reports, offering tips such as: 

High resolution .emf or other vector formats.
Avoiding graphs made through Excel. 
Appropriate figure references.

These types of presentations are just one of the many ways BWE members are prepared for the professional world. Lots of thanks to Dr. Darestani for his time and expertise!
Meet this year’s BWE E-Board and leadership! From Meet this year’s BWE E-Board and leadership! From right to left: 

Joe Dobat (Public Outreach), Connor Noppert (Secretary), Kris Crawford (President), Nathan Metevia (Vice President), John Decator (TA), Chase Jones (Resourse Coordinator), Dr. Audra Morse (Advisor), Jocey Baughman (Digital Relations) 

We meeting weekly to discuss the BWE schedule, tasks, and outcomes. This board is made of members and faculty, allowing for a higher level of involvement! 

#mtuenterprise #mtuleaders
Special shoutout to all of our individual team lea Special shoutout to all of our individual team leaders! They have and will continue to demonstrate to their teams how to be dedicated, organized, and empathetic leaders.

These individuals have taken on a complex and challenging role within their team. To help support them, team leader meetings, such as the one occurring today at 5, are hosted. Led by our Vice President, Nathan Metevia, these meetings allow our leaders to discuss tips for communication and conflict resolution. It also helps the leader refocus on the tasks that prioritize the BWE goal of self-reliance, such as our timesheets and weekly progress reports. 

#mtuleadership #mtuleaders #leader #selfreliance
Built World Enterprise started the Spring 2026 sem Built World Enterprise started the Spring 2026 semester with our first of many weekly meetings in Dillman 214 at 4:00 pm on Thursday. The BWE Leadership welcomed new and old members, whose majors range from Environmental, Civil, Geospatial Engineering, Construction Management, and others! In addition to running through the syllabus and introducing the different teams, BWE’s overarching goal was discussed:

“Prepare Members for the self-reliance expected in the workplace.” 

This goal will carry throughout the semester, as the expectations for BWE members are reflective of those they will face in their future careers. This account will continue to post the ways BWE teams strive to meet our goal, as well as progress on our many wonderful individual teams!
The MTU Timber Strong Team is putting in a lot of The MTU Timber Strong Team is putting in a lot of hours to finalize their design! They are in the thick of the calculations phase, making important and innovative adjustments to their previously designed wooden structures. This structure must be two stories, with windows, a door, and a second-floor cantilever beam. 

The competition this year uniquely requires the team to consider wind loads and calculate a budget for man-hours. 

At this point in the year, the Timber Strong Team has finished the first floor design in Revit and is progressing with the second. This semester has also had a significant focus on team building. The team has been working on creating shirts as well as hosting a few events, like a pizza party! 

#mtu #timberstrong #timberstructure #endofsemester #mtudesignn
The Steel Bridge Team at MTU is busy working at pr The Steel Bridge Team at MTU is busy working at progressing toward their ultimate goal: creating an innovative design that fits within the new requirements of the 2026 AISC Steel Bridge Competition! They are doing a fantastic job!
 
The pictures seen above are from the shop sessions the team is holding twice a week. 
The goal of the shop sessions so far has been to give team members a chance to get comfortable using the tools and equipment that we will be using when we start fabricating the bridge. During the past several weeks, members have practiced metal fabrication skills such as cutting, grinding, welding, and setting jigs. Chase, the Steel Bridge Head of Fabrication, has also been leading an assortment of small practice projects! 

On the design end of the spectrum, they have been carefully reviewing the competition rulebook while designing the connections between the bridge’s elements. As well as optimizing the design components within Ram Elements, a 3D model of the bridge in Onshape, and consulting with professional contacts. 

#mtusteelbridge #steelbridge #mtuinnovation #bweenterprise #mtuenterprise #proudteam
The MTU Concrete Canoe Team has had a busy start t The MTU Concrete Canoe Team has had a busy start to their year! Back in October, the team did their annual Sea Trials with two of the past competition canoes. Both boats entered the water again at Sandy Bottom Park in Dollar Bay. 

These trials allow the team to gather strain data for their structural analysis and offer feedback on previous hull designs. Using this data, they can improve the hull design for this upcoming year. 

During this trial, it was determined that last year’s boat was too wide and far too difficult to keep straight. The boat from two years ago was also found to be too difficult to turn. This process allowed the team to decide to shorten the rocker angle and narrow the boat to achieve a middle ground for this year’s design! 

@mtu_concrete_canoe is doing an amazing job! Special thanks to their leader, Liam, who will have a post dedicated to him at the start of next semester!! 

#mtuconcretecanoe #concretecanoe #mtusports #mtuinnovation
This Friday’s MTU Husky Day is a wonderful event t This Friday’s MTU Husky Day is a wonderful event to help guide future students through the difficult decision that is picking a university and path! This university-wide event is a flexible tour with members of each department offering guides if requested. Prospective students ask questions and tour the places they might potentially spend their undergraduate years. 

The CEGE department tours will be lead by BWE members! This Husky Day reflects brightly on the future of this department as they plan on welcoming the following individuals: 

Jeremy, Alexis, Nathan, Leila, Joaquin, Chris, Elliott, Ryan, Carter, Olive, Reka 

#mtucege #mtuhuskies #mtustrong #huskydays #huskeypride
Meet Lucy Howe, who is in her third year of a Civi Meet Lucy Howe, who is in her third year of a Civil Engineering degree here at MTU. This picture shows her holding a sled dog named Busch at the CopperDog 2025! Donnie (right) and Marie (left) also join her in this image!

She is in her first year of BWE but was a part of the MTU WERC team last year. She returns to continue to expand her skill set and connections: 

“While it can be stressful at times, I love making great relationships with my team members and sponsors, and judges at competitions.”

This year, she is the WERC team lead! Lucy is helping the team progress with their chosen task: to design a retrofitted system that will collect water vapor from a cooling tower that is located in a water-scarce area. 

Lucy is also the treasurer of the MTU Mushing Club and will be participating in this year’s races. She is also the statue chair for the MTU Blue Key National Honors Society, and plans to help organize Winter Carnival 2025! 

Lucy has a lot on her plate and is doing a fantastic job! Wish her luck as she continues to balance this impressive schedule!
If able, PLEASE consider attending and donating to If able, PLEASE consider attending and donating to this cause as it is more pressing than ever. BWE is always looking for new ways to have members be involved with the MTU and surrounding community. This upcoming fundraiser is no exception! Attending this event this upcoming Sunday will be another way for BWE members to fulfill their public engagement requirements for the semester. Edit: this is not a BWE specific event, it is being hosted by a group of MTU students but we are happy to be included!

#publicinvolvement #mtucommunity #soup #soupfundraiser
This is Callie Newberg! She is in her fourth year This is Callie Newberg! She is in her fourth year pursuing a Civil Engineering degree. She has returned to BWE for her second year: 

“I enjoy group projects. I also really enjoy watching new students on the team learning and I hope they find a voice on the team as well.”

Callie is serving as the Vice President of the MTU Timber Strong team, where her enthusiasm and experience is vital to this year’s success! While participating last year, the team earned first at regionals as well as fastest built time at the California showcase. 

 Here at MTU Callie has also spent time exploring the natural beauty of the Keweenaw: 

 “My personal favorite spots are Hungarian Falls and Great Sand Bay!”
This upcoming Thursday class is especially importa This upcoming Thursday class is especially important for BWE members to participate in! A speaker for the wonderful MTU Writing Center is giving tips and ticks to the class about report writing. This is great timing as each team gears up to start or continue writing their project reports. This is just one of the many examples of the type of opportunities that BWE members get to experience in this Enterprise! Special thanks to the MTU Writing Center: they are a great resource for MTU students and if I had sent them this graphic before I posted it they would have helped me address the typo in it lol!!

#mtuengineering #mtuwriters #reportwriting #professionalskills
Chance Adair is in his 5th year completing his las Chance Adair is in his 5th year completing his last semester of his Environmental Engineering major. This is his 3rd year in BWE and participating in EPA 
Campus Rainworks Team:

“I’ve enjoyed the comradery that comes from being in an enterprise, along with the experience that I have gained.”

Last year Chance was the team leader. He effectively managed the development of a design for sustainable infrastructure along the MTU waterfront. His experience continues to be a great asset to the team this year!

Chance says all students should participate in Broomball while at MTU:

“Even if you’re not the athletic type going and watching a game here and there, and feeling the spirit is awesome.”
Meet this year’s MTU EPA Campus Rainworks Team! T Meet this year’s MTU 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 has chosen the area surrounding the new Lot 26 as the region of campus to focus on (where this image was captured)! The team has met with a professional contact and is working toward an improved design! The official EPA challenge has been canceled due to a lack of funding. Still, this year’s team is committed to upholding the expectations and values of the design process to have a meaningful year of learning and advancement. 

Stay tuned for team updates on this page and the BWE website! 

#epa #eparainworks #eparainworkschallenge #stormwatermanagement #greeninfrastructure #sustainabledesigns #sustainabledevelopment #greenmtu #mtusustainability #bwe #mtuinnovation
Meet this year’s MTU Engineers Without Borders tea Meet this year’s MTU Engineers Without Borders team! 

The EWB-USA was established to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through the implementation of environmentally conscious, equitable, and economically sustainable engineering projects, while developing internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.

So far this year, the EWB team has met with the local NGO to discuss the project work and has also recruited a handful of new members! They have established the scope of work with Etta Projects and have laid out a timeline for when the project can be expected to be completed. 

The work done by this team has widespread and meaningful impacts!  Watch this page as well as the BWE website to keep up with this team’s progress throughout this year. 

#ewb #mtuewb #globalimpact #globalengineering #mtuengineering #mtuinnovation #mtuabroad
Follow on Instagram

Find Us

Address

Dillman 208

1400 Townsend Dr.
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931

Hours
Thursday: 4:00PM–4:50PM

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.

Search

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Calendar
  • Surveys
  • About
  • ACRP Design Competition
  • Engineers Without Borders
  • EPA Rainworks Challenge
  • Past Projects
  • News
  • WERC Environmental Design Competition
  • Steel Bridge
  • Concrete Canoe
  • Timber Strong
Proudly powered by WordPress