Civil and Environmental Engineering students and practitioners gathered for lunch for the first time on the Lamar University campus to discuss the state of the profession of engineering and resolved to meet again.

The Lamar University Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Southeast Texas Branch of ASCE, and the Lamar Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosted a “Meet and Greet” for Lamar civil and environmental undergraduate students, practitioners, alumni and faculty in the Reaud Administration Building event center on Wed., Jan. 30. 

Eighteen practitioners and alumni attended, shared lunch and visited informally over lunch with a group of students and faculty. 

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce students to local civil and environmental engineers, encourage students in the studies and talk about job prospects. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics civil engineering is projected to grow 11 percent between 2016 to 2026 faster than the average for all occupations. 

“It’s an exciting field and more practitioners are needed,” said Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair and Professor at Lamar University Liv Haselbach. “We had a great turnout for our meet and greet because local practitioners want to encourage building the pipeline of engineers in our field.”

The demand for civil engineers is at an all-time high because infrastructures are aging and there is a demand to replace, rebuild, renovate and upgrade, roads, bridges, levees, dams, airports, buildings and more. 

The median starting salary for civil engineers is $84,770, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data dated 2017. 

“Civil engineering is a dynamic career field, pays very well and provides long-term job security,” said Haselbach. “We are encouraging other students to look into this exciting field.”

Haselbach said that the student/practitioner lunch was so successful, the group plans to make it an annual event. 

For more information about Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lamar University, contact Dir. Outreach and Student Services Erin Lovelady Lemoine at eklovelday@lamar.edu or (409) 880-8714.