Quoin Spring 2022

// MESSAGE FROM the school head

This has been another busy year in the McWhorter School of Building Science. We have slowly been returning to normality with students traveling to conventions and competitions and faculty presenting at conferences around the world. This past fall and spring we had record number of students in the undergraduate program. There continues to be strong demand for our graduates, with record company participation at our career expos and 100% career placement. This summer we will say goodbye to Mike Hosey who has been our champion of hands-on learning since the time he first started teaching over 15 years ago. Mike played a major role in establishing the Robins & Morton Construction Field Lab and our associated service-learning projects. We wish him and his wife Dara great happiness in their retirement.

This issue’s cover shows Auburn High School teacher Jessica Bowlin. It seems only yesterday that Jess was one of our student athletes, doing great things on the soccer field and in the classroom. Since then she has gone on to great things teaching high school students about the great opportunities there are in our industry. In the short time she has been at AHS, her work has been acknowledged with significant and well-deserved awards, and I am so proud to call her one our alumni.

Our students continue to have great success in and out of the classroom. You will read about our return to in-person competitions that have again allowed students and faculty the opportunity to travel both nationally and internationally. These competitions allow students the opportunity to develop their communication, teamwork and time management skills, and I am always so proud of our students when I have the opportunity to see them represent our school. One such young lady who has been a great ambassador for our program is Anna LaRock, who was named our most recent Outstanding Undergraduate student. You can read about what she is doing now with Evergreen in Atlanta in this issue.

It is always good to hear what our alumni are doing in this great industry of ours, and this issue contains several features on alumni from not only our undergraduate program but also our graduate and distance programs. We also have a feature on the wonderful multi-disciplinary research that Wes Collins is involved in and introduction to one of recent faculty hires, Hunter McGonagill.

Finally, we have some faculty success to celebrate. Professor Paul Holley became the first ever BSCI faculty member to receive Auburn’s prestigious Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. This is a very well-deserved award and reflects Paul’s long and sustained commitment to excellent teaching. We also recently learned that four of our assistant professors—Alan Bugg, Jeff Kim, Lauren Redden and Eric Wetzel—will be promoted to associate professors with tenure this fall. Congratulations!

WDE

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

ANNA L AROCK

Anna LaRock is Assistant Preconstruction Manager at Evergreen Construction in Atlanta.

She was named Outstanding Undergraduate Student when she graduated from BSCI in December 2020 and has been with Evergreen since. LaRock says that the transition from student to professional was a smooth one, although she was happy to be done with homework and tests. “The structure of school and my career was pretty similar,” she explained. “BSCI gave me a great foundation to easily move from school to work.”

As a student at Auburn, she interned with JES Holdings LLC and completed the Virtual Internship Program with Juneau Construction. Although she began her new job at the height of the pandemic, she felt lucky to be full-time in person at Evergreen’s headquarters. She was also fortunate to have a fellow Auburn alum at Evergreen with her: Emily Chegwidden Hayes, who graduated from BSCI in 2003. Hayes has been with Evergreen for 15 years, and after several years in a client relationship management role she has returned to operations as a Project Manager. LaRock said that being able to ask questions of Hayes and other managers has been important in her career, and she recommends that current students always ask all the questions they have. After working in the industry for over a year, she finds that she still has many questions on a daily basis, and knowing who to ask for answers is essential.

Being in Preconstruction at Evergreen means that LaRock is getting a lot of experience in different areas. On her first day on the job, she immediately started working on the company’s successful bid to build an Amazon distribution center. She is currently working on a mixed-used facility on the Beltline in Atlanta, a residential building with ground floor retail space, and the company is also moving into building multi-family projects and large apartment complexes. “These are my favorite projects to work on because they have so many different parts and pieces,” she stated.

[Anna] is currently working on a mixed-used facility on the Beltline in Atlanta, a residential building with ground floor retail space, and the company is also moving into building multi-family projects and large apartment complexes.”

Left: As a student at Auburn, LaRock was extremely involved on campus, both as a member of the school’s competition teams and as a valuable student worker in the BSCI office.

Top Right: LaRock has found that Auburn’s Building Science program prepared her for her career through coursework and instruction in technology and communication.

In her career, LaRock found that both the coursework and communication skills she learned at Auburn are essential to being successful in the industry. She feels the ability to understand construction drawings, taught early in the Documents class, is one of the most important. “I have to make sure subcontractors are quoting the right products. If I didn’t know how to read plans, then I couldn’t do my job.” Her participation in one of BSCI’s competition teams was also helpful in terms of presenting information and communicating with colleagues.

In addition to being a successful student at Auburn, LaRock was also a valued student worker in the BSCI office in Gorrie. “I spent almost all of my time in Gorrie,” she explained. “Brandon (Clarke), Angie (White), Eva (Wesche) and Joline (Landry) were so easy to work for that I always looked forward to coming to work. They have helped me to be who I am today.”

RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH to Support Aging-in-Place

More than one-third of Americans were 55+ as of 2019 and as the U.S. population is aging the mindset of older adults is changing as well.

More than 80% of older adults are interested in “aging-inplace”, that is, in staying in their current residence as they grow older. However, residences often need significant modifications to support safe and successful aging-in-place. While there are specific standards and guidance addressing the accessibility of large residential buildings, there is less guidance for smaller, multi-family units (duplex, triplex, etc.), sometimes referred to as “middle density” homes. What could physically be done to those residences to allow individuals to stay in their homes longer?

A multidisciplinary team of faculty from the College of Architecture, Design and Construction stepped in to address this problem with generous funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The research team led by CADC faculty Justin Miller, Wes Collins, and Shu-Wen Tzeng brought their expertise in architecture, construction management, and industrial design to the project.

Left: The ADAPT app uses clear icons for navigation and allows users to customize planning based on space, cost, and need.

Opposite: Recommendations for neighborhood planning focuses on accessible, affordable housing, communitybuilding, and access to amenities.

The team, including industrial design faculty member Jerrod Windham and graduate and undergraduate students across the CADC and Auburn, worked to gather and organize best practices in accessible design considering solutions for each room of a house as well as overall mobility, lighting and electrical systems, and building entrances. The resulting solutions were formatted for a mobile app, ADAPT, which walks users through design solutions for each room of a house. The app also filters solutions based on a series of accessibility concerns and by pricepoint to help homeowners and professionals consider individual and total costs of the adaptation.

Another key element of the project was surveying contractors and designers about which elements they integrate into design and construction of residences. Wes Collins, Associate Professor in the McWhorter School of Building Science, took the lead on analyzing the data from the survey along with Master of Building Construction student Peyton Morris. Survey results indicated that contractors “sometimes” incorporate aging-in-place best practices but oftentimes do not because owners simply do not request those items. This finding supported the need for the ADAPT mobile app.

A multidisciplinary team of faculty from the College of Architecture, Design and Construction stepped in to address [aging-in-place] with generous funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).”

Professor Collins said, “The ADAPT app will help bridge the gap between homeowners, designers, contractors and potential accessibility solutions. We hope it will help prompt new conversations with designers and contractors who can help clients make accessibility and aging-in-place a reality.” The app is currently under review by HUD and will be available and promoted to the public in the near future.

As part of the project, the team also designed a series of middle density affordable, accessible homes that could be implemented by cities. The team identified ways that cities could support accessibility, not just within the home, but within an entire neighborhood to help people of all ages and abilities thrive.

Considerations include proximity to amenities (e.g., grocery, medical services, parks), transportation and walkability. Moreover, a key opportunity area identified by the research team was cities with large swaths of land held by “land banks” which are quasi-governmental entities that can take control of blighted or tax delinquent properties and make them available for others to redevelop. The team completed case studies of several sites in the Eastlake area of Birmingham, Alabama. They found that if the Eastlake sites were redeveloped with accessible missing-middle homes (allowed only if underlying zoning conditions were changed) there could be significant gains realized related to tax base, property values, and local amenities.

The ADAPT app will help bridge the gap between homeowners, designers, contractors and potential accessibility solutions.”

WES COLLINS

Above: ADAPT includes detailed recommendations for each room of the house along with cost and ease of implementation.

HUNTER McGONAGILL

In 2019, Senior Lecturer Hunter McGonagill left his position at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to begin teaching full time in Auburn’s McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI).

“I left USACE specifically to take on the challenge of sharing my diverse experience with the next generation of builders,” he explained.

McGonagill began his career in construction and civil engineering design in 2010 when he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working at both Fort Hood in Texas and Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. In 2014, he became a Regional Engineer with the USACE’s Foreign Military Sales Program where he managed the completion of various horizontal and vertical infrastructure projects across allied nations in the Middle East. While there, he began BSCI’s Executive Graduate Certificate program remotely and earned his Master of Building Construction degree in 2017. In addition to his graduate degree, McGonagill holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Mississippi.

After traveling extensively and completing projects on several different continents, McGonagill felt that something was missing. “I was blessed to have the opportunity to complete some amazing and complex projects,” he explained. “But after several years, it started to sink in that I would finish one and simply start another.” Upon joining BSCI’s faculty, McGonagill assisted with multiple courses and helped with thesis reviews. He currently teaches Construction Field Lab, the school’s service learning course, and has also taught Construction Safety, Lean Construction, Structures I and Documents. He says that the cohort structure of the building science program makes for a strong sense of community. “When I get to teach the same students over multiple semesters, I feel like we get to chat more about life and not just textbooks and technical prowess,” he explained.

His extensive travel across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South and Central America means that he usually sees there is more than one answer to any given problem. “There is typically more than one solution, so why be stubborn about doing it ‘my way?’” he said. Senior ‘Ab’ Kenneth Abernathy says that McGonagill pushes his students to focus on more than their careers and to help others in the world around them. “You can tell he is a professor who really cares,” Abernathy said. “He is one of those people that is full of experience and wisdom and is eager and willing to share it.”

Having grown up with family in the construction industry, McGonagill has a highly valued network of contacts that span the industry and the globe, and he feels that the people he’s met along the way are what made his career special. “I have learned to appreciate that construction is a ‘people’ business,” he said. “Our students have to understand that every project they complete will be done with a team.”

I have learned to appreciate that construction is a ‘people’ business.”

Q&A with KELLY O'NEAL-YOUNG

O’Neal-Young graduated from the McWhorter School of Building Science in 2006.

After holding several positions in the construction industry, including 13 years with Holder Construction, she accepted a job last year as a Project Manager with Auburn University Facilities. She oversees various projects on campus, including the current Upper Quad renovations, Village Residence Hall renovation and mobile credentialing upgrades throughout campus. This summer she worked on the demolition of the Hill Dorms and construction of a new dorm. Recently, Kelly took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Who was your favorite professor in BSCI and have you kept in touch?

The most important thing I learned from BSCI is the importance of building relationships. BSCI taught us that engaging with those who have more experience helps you grow as a person and opens you up to building your own expertise. During my career, I used to go outside and talk to the subcontractors and superintendents about their trades. I wanted to understand the process for my growth.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced in your career?

Being a female in the industry has been a challenge. When I graduated in 2006, women were just starting to grow their interest in the construction industry. It was always there, but we started to acknowledge more women graduating with a building science degree and succeeding.

What’s the biggest change on campus since you were a student?

There are more buildings now! There are definitely more walking spaces for students, and I like the transformation around the Haley Center and how everything is being centralized there on campus. But Auburn still has the family feel of when I attended here in 2000.

Anoop Sattineni was my favorite professor. I loved how he was always behind the students and encouraging them to be great. I kept up with him when I returned for interviews and we play golf once a year with the Atlanta Auburn Building Science Alumni group. I have also been able to keep up with my mentor, Drew Yantis. My BSCI professors showed us how much they loved the subject and how much there was to learn, from Killingsworth’s Estimating class to Aderholt and Weiss’ Structures class to B.W. Smith’s MEP class. They were not trying to teach us how to be general contractors. They were teaching us how to understand the trade, the details and components that went into the design.

Build relationships by talking to people, not through texts or emails. Pick up the phone and talk. Intern with companies when you can. Reading books provides the basics, but hands-on learning provides a better understanding. Walk with your superintendent and ask questions. Talk to the trades to learn about their means and methods. The trades want to teach us, and we must be open to hearing their lessons. Finally, challenge yourself and step outside your comfort zone.

How do you stay up to date on new construction methods and best practices?

I really enjoy renovating spaces and giving them a new look. My career is in Interiors and just to watch a space transform into its potential is gratifying. I am currently working with Housing on the Upper Quad Renovation, and the most amazing thing is to have the opportunity to work with the original 1930s construction, the terracotta structure and plaster walls, and then see the dorms get a modern look. The workmanship in the 1930s was amazing. To this day, any time I drive by a space that I renovated I smile. I think about all the hard work that went into transforming a space and how everyone that I meet along the way has shaped me to be the person I am today.

I stay in touch with colleagues and read articles about current and future trends on how construction is evolving. LinkedIn has been a great tool in keeping up with new construction methods. The technology has been the biggest change and trying to keep up with it has its own challenges.

What is something you learned in BSCI that has been relevant to your work every day?

What aspects of your job do you enjoy most?

What is your advice for Auburn students studying building science?

What made you want to major in Building Science?

My family grew up in construction, but I didn’t know that until I was in college and not enjoying my original plan of attending classes in the College of Business. I wanted to be outside. My mom noticed how much I loved walking into spaces and admiring the architectural elements, so I took some building science classes and enjoyed every minute. From there I never looked back.

KELLY O'NEAL-YOUNG

I really enjoy renovating spaces and giving them a new look. My career is in Interiors and just to watch a space transform into its potential is gratifying.”

FACILITIES

Upgrade Complete in GORRIE ROOM 205

Room 205 in the M. Miller Gorrie Center, home of the McWhorter School of Building Science, recently received a renovation and upgrade that changed how the room is configured.

Instead of rows of static seating, there are now eight pods of five desks that allow for small group exercises and discussions. Associate Professor Wes Collins says that the new space offers faculty members flexibility in teaching. “The retractable desks allow for the room to be used for classes where having computers with dual monitors is very valuable, such as the estimating classes that I teach, or classes where computers are not heavily used, such as structures,” he explained. Students and faculty can use the new white boards covering the walls around the perimeter of the room for sketching ideas and concepts. The renovation also included the addition of six 96" television monitors for faculty presentations instead of a single projector screen in the front of the room.

Top, Above and Left:

Recent renovations to Gorrie 205 included pod seating, white boards and six new monitors.

“All of our renovations are done with the intention of improving our students’ educational experience,” said school head Richard Burt. “We want to ensure they are well prepared for the workforce when they graduate.”

Sponsorship opportunities for facility upgrades are available. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Christopher Griffin in the Advancement Office at cgriffin@auburn.edu

PAUL HOLLEY Receives Presidential Award for Teaching

Paul Holley, one of the most decorated faculty members in the McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI), has added another impressive award to his resume.

Holley was named a recipient of the 2021 Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, an annual honor that recognizes two full-time, tenured Auburn faculty members who have demonstrated effective and innovative teaching methods as well as a commitment to student advising and mentoring.

Holley holds a bachelor’s degree in Building Science and a doctorate in Education from Auburn as well as an M.B.A. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. On the faculty at Auburn since 2002, Holley teaches contracting business, construction surveying & layout and project scheduling to undergraduate and graduate students. His emphasis is on the practical applications of building science education, both in the classroom and in research. He has coached more than 20 competition teams in national and international competitions and took a team to compete in the United Kingdom in Associated Schools of Construction’s Region 8 competition last fall. Dr. Vini Nathan, Auburn Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and BSCI head Dr. Richard Burt wrote a letter of support for Holley’s nomination. They said that Holley’s commitment to providing an enhanced educational experience extends beyond competition teams and study abroad. “He has directed many graduate research projects but has also mentored more undergraduate student research projects than any other BSCI faculty,” Nathan and Burt wrote. “Many of these research projects have resulted in peer reviewed scholarship and in some cases provisional patent applications.”

In addition to teaching and mentoring, Holley is also the director of the school’s Center for Construction Innovation and Collaboration (CCIC). The CCIC brings together faculty, students, industry representatives and others to focus on innovative and collaborative problem-solving, and develops approaches to real problems related to construction products and processes by integrating technology, experience and cutting-edge ideology.

Over the years, Holley has received numerous awards from the Associated Schools of Construction, Associated Building Contractors of America and the Design Build Institute of America.

He has held the Willborn Senior and Bob Aderholdt Endowed Professorships and is a five-time recipient of the school’s Outstanding Teaching Award. “Every year graduating seniors choose a faculty member to receive the school’s Outstanding Teaching Award,” Nathan and Burt said. “It is a testament to Paul’s teaching effectiveness that he has received this award every year he has been eligible.” Holley said he is flattered to have been nominated and selected for this award and that he’s glad to shine a light on Auburn’s building science program. “We have an outstanding group of faculty members in building science, and I think this sort of illumination brings recognition to the great things happening in the school and college,” he stated.

“I am very grateful to have been chosen for such a high honor at the university level and for the meaningful connections with our students that it represents.”

BUILDING SCIENCE ALUM JESSICA WOLFE BOWLIN Teaches the Next Generation of Construction Students

In addition to being a beloved teacher and a celebrated educator, Jessica Wolfe Bowlin is an advocate for construction education.

“We are so proud she is a BSCI grad,” said McWhorter School of Building Science head Richard Burt. “Her reputation, accomplishments and knowledge of the academic opportunities to study construction in college make her the perfect ambassador to guide high school students toward a career in the construction industry.”

Originally from Hazel Green, a small town in north Alabama, Bowlin came to Auburn to play on the university’s soccer team. She graduated in 2013 and then went to work at Turner Construction in Decatur, Alabama. An Assistant Project Manager in the company’s Self-Perform division, she worked closely with welders, pipefitters, millwrights, iron workers, carpenters and masons. In 2017, she and her husband Wes, a 2012 BSCI grad, moved back to Auburn to be near family. Shortly thereafter, she received a phone call about establishing a building construction program at Auburn High School (AHS). Little did she know that Burt and Associate Dean Ben Farrow had met with Laura Bailey, the high school’s former career and technical education director, and recommended Bowlin as the right person to start a secondary education building science program. Although she had never taught before, Bowlin suspected her passion for learning and her experience in the industry would help her get started. “My professional experience showed me that programs such as this are exactly what the industry desperately needs,” she explained. She accepted the position and is now in her fifth year of teaching at AHS.

ALUMNI PROFILE

Top Left: Bowlin utilizes project-based learning to teach skills like reading blueprints, framing walls and using power tools.

Top Middle: Bowlin’s students have built several large children’s playhouses. Image courtesy of the Auburn Villager.

Top Right: Auburn High School’s tiny house won first place in the 2019 Alabama Association for Career Technical Education Conference’s “Life Work Product” competition.

Right: Bowlin coaches students who compete in SkillsUSA’s South District competitions in divisions like Carpentry and Job Skill Demonstration.

JESSICA WOLFE BOWLIN

Bowlin is driven by the desire to correct the widespread perception that success comes only from having a white collar office job. She is constantly working against inaccurate portrayals of industry professionals and how they are undervalued in America. “I believe it is my responsibility to advocate for our field of work by raising awareness of the vast opportunities available within construction,” she stated.

“Building construction programs within primary and secondary education are absolutely critical in resolving the negative market trends and determining the rate of progression within our industry.”

Several classes are offered in AHS’ Building Construction program, and Bowlin teaches them in a way that combines classroom instruction with project-based learning throughout the stages of framing, site preparation and construction finishing.

She teaches trade skills like blueprint reading, power tools, concrete, masonry and roofing as well as safety according to guidelines set by the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER). As part of her classes, her students go through a series of tests to receive NCCER certification.

She teaches lessons within a simulated workplace environment, reinforcing professionalism and comprehensive learning. A fan of lifelong learning herself, Bowlin encourages her students to be curious and to try new things. “Whether it’s a continuing education course in my free time, a professional development workshop, a podcast or a new skill I’m trying for the first time in the shop, the process of learning new skills and gaining knowledge is when I feel most at peace,” she explained.

Building construction programs within primary and secondary education are absolutely critical in resolving the negative market trends and determining the rate of progression within our industry.”

One of her first big projects at AHS was the construction of a tiny house measuring 21 feet long by 8½ feet wide. She began researching the possibility by visiting BSCI Assistant Professor April Simons as she guided her own students through the construction of a tiny home. Bowlin was able to both observe the class and participate along with the students, which helped tremendously in crafting her proposal. Despite being in her first year of teaching, she was rewarded with the full support of the AHS administration. “I probably came across as a little crazy proposing the tiny house when we didn’t have certainty that the Building Construction program would even continue the following school year,” she said. “This speaks volumes about the support of our Auburn City Schools team and the Auburn community.” The project ended up being incredibly successful, and the program’s tiny house won first place in the 2019 Alabama Association for Career Technical Education conference’s “Live Work Product” competition. The award generated a great deal of attention for the program and the tiny house was eventually sold to the highest bidder.

Top:

Measuring in at 21 feet long by 8.5 feet wide, AHS’s tiny home was eventually sold to the highest bidder.

Between classes, projects and coaching competition teams, Bowlin puts in long hours working to open her students’ minds to the career possibilities that await them after high school. She is motivated by research that shows a burgeoning deficit of skilled labor in the construction industry. “Projections indicate that 41% of construction professionals will retire by 2031,” Bowlin said. “With the industry’s increasing need for a safe, productive and sustainable workforce of craft professionals, the success of a program such as this is essential in progressing the development of our students, our communities and our industry.”

Aside from the tiny home, most of her classroom projects range in size from large children’s playhouses to simple cornhole games. Some assignments have included building furniture and outdoor classroom benches as well as creating full sets for school theatrical productions. The students also devote time to building storage sheds for Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity, where Bowlin serves on the Board of Directors. Her students compete in SkillsUSA’s South District competition, and this past February several students placed in divisions including Carpentry, Job Skill Demonstration and Job Interview.

The program's tiny house won first place in the 2019 Alabama Association for Career Technical Education conference's 'Live Work Product' competition.”

Above: AHS students have built several storage sheds for Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity, and Bowlin serves on its Board of Directors.

Below:

Bottom:

Bowlin credits Auburn’s faculty for helping her to become a good teacher and says it was the connections between students and professors that meant the most to her. “We were provided a sense of empowerment,” she explained. “Within safe learning environments, individual ideas are not only valued but play an active role in steering the class.” It was that independence that made her college career mean so much more than just grades. Her goal now is to grow a culture at AHS that allows her students to be fulfilled through meaningful schoolwork and propelled to become productive citizens.

Right: Bowlin teaches lessons with a simulated workplace environment, emphasizing both technical skills and professionalism. Image courtesy of the Auburn Villager.

Students Jacob Bailey, 16, and Tucker Roberts, 15, put the finishing touches on a children’s playhouse. Image courtesy of the Auburn Villager.

Inspired by her experience as a student at Auburn, Bowlin’s goal is to grow a culture of independence at AHS where students learn through meaningful schoolwork and projects. Image courtesy of the Auburn Villager.

It is through learning that we discover our purpose in life, and when purpose and passion collide, it is a beautiful thing.”

JESSICA WOLFE BOWLIN

Above:

After just three years on the job, Jessica Bowlin was named Auburn High School’s Teacher of the Year in 2019.

Top Right: In 2021, Bowlin was one of 18 national winners honored with a Harbor Freight Tools for School Prize for Teaching Excellence.

She also likes to encourage that connection between student and teacher while emphasizing the importance of service learning and the value of teamwork. She noted that both Farrow and Associate Professor Darren Olsen have offered guidance, advice and support to Bowlin and her husband through the years. “When we were students, they offered their mentorship,” she said. “Following graduation, they offered their wisdom as friends. I believe the professors who teach in Building Science at Auburn are the key factor that makes the program one of the best in the country.”

While Bowlin may model her teaching after Auburn’s building science program, she herself is not far from being one of the best in the country. In 2019, after less than three years on the job, she was named Teacher of the Year at Auburn High School. In 2021, she was honored with a Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, winning $50,000 in funding for the AHS program. Harbor Freight Tools sponsors this annual awards program to recognize inspirational teachers preparing students for building construction and skilled trades, and Bowlin was named one of 18 winners out of 726 applicants nationwide. Her students have in their corner not only an outstanding educator and an advocate for the industry but also a lifelong learner. “It is through learning that we discover our purpose in life,” she explained, “and when purpose and passion collide, it is a beautiful thing.”

CLAIRE SASSER

Claire Sasser is an Assistant Project Manager in the Atlanta office of Whiting-Turner, where she began her career shortly after graduating from Auburn’s Master of Building Construction program in 2017.

Since then she has worked on a wide variety of commercial construction projects including office renovations, high-end retail projects and hospitality construction throughout the Southeast United States.

One of her favorite projects has been the Deerpark event facility on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, which included 26,000 square feet of space with a ballroom, breakout meeting rooms and a large commercial kitchen. Sasser is currently the lead project manager on an office renovation for a repeat client in Pensacola, Florida. She oversees planning and delivery of the entire project, from preconstruction through building turnover and closeout, and is responsible for all communication between the team and the client in order to ensure a transparent and smooth operation.

Sasser came to Auburn’s graduate program directly from Texas A&M University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in construction science. For her capstone project, she gained valuable experience working with Assistant Professor Alan Bugg and the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Savannah Harbor expansion project. “This was an

amazing opportunity to learn more about utilizing real-time tracking technology in a way that could possibly lead to a new standard of safety protocols for the workers in the dredging industry,” she said.

Sasser hopes to eventually share her industry knowledge with the next generation of construction students by teaching in higher education. “The professors whose classes I enjoyed and learned from the most were those who had a career in the construction industry first,” she explained. “These professors took their years of knowledge, experience and leadership and created classes that were instrumental in the success of my development.”

CLAIRE SASSER

[Auburn Building Science] professors took their years of knowledge, experience and leadership and created classes that were instrumental in the success of my development.”

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

HEATH BARTON

Heath Barton is a Project Engineer with J.E. Dunn Construction in Atlanta, Georgia, and is chairman of Georgia’s chapter of the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA).

In his current role with J.E. Dunn, Barton oversees change management, project budgets and the overall process of document management. He works with trades and architects to ensure scope and spec requirements are met while design issues are resolved on all fronts. He provides estimates for design changes, trains and mentors new hires and works closely with architects, trade partners and clients to complete each project. Barton was originally assigned to J.E. Dunn’s Education group, working on buildings for K-12 and higher education, but he recently switched to the Commercial group and is now involved in new development at Ponce City Market on the Atlanta BeltLine.

A 2016 graduate of Auburn’s Master of Building Construction program, he also holds a degree in business from Troy University. As a graduate student at Auburn, Barton was one of the founders of both the 2045 Coalition, a student organization highlighting women in construction and design, and BSCI’s student chapter of DBIA. He was also an Ambassador for the program and is now an active alum serving on the school’s Industry Advisory Council. Barton says that he loved working with Auburn faculty on research, especially his capstone project which focused on the use of local resources in designing and creating sustainable housing in Haiti. Barton is currently preparing to take over LEED certification efforts for J.E. Dunn’s Atlanta office. “I am passionate about LEED and how to create sustainability,” he stated, “Not just with construction but also with people’s time and money.”

In his current role with J.E. Dunn, Barton oversees change management, project budgets and the overall process of document management.”

After a year and a half of competitions held remotely due to COVID-19, Auburn’s BSCI students were able to return to in-person competitions this year, traveling regionally, nationally and even internationally.

Competition season, with entry fees and travel expenses, is made possible by the generous support of industry partners who sponsor the teams. Each year, as students prepare for the competition season ahead, these partners come to campus to observe practice presentations and give the teams feedback on how to improve.

In the spring, sponsors are invited back to campus for a celebratory BBQ luncheon on the Gorrie lawn with all of the team members and their faculty coaches.

Here’s a round-up of BSCI teams' 2021–2022 competition season experiences.

In mid-October, Associate Professor Dr. Tom Leathem took a team of students to Chicago to compete in Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 3. They competed in the Preconstruction division and placed second, also earning the award for best presentation. Team member Ashleigh Harris said that while the day was stressful, the team was pleased with the outcome. “We were competing in a region we were not familiar with, with construction companies and other schools we did not know.” Harris also noted that the team was lucky to have Chicago native Leathem along as advisor. “He made sure we had time to enjoy Chicago's unique culture while we were there. We ate some Chicago style deep dish pizza, walked to Navy Pier and took an architectural boat tour on the Chicago River.”

ASC Region 2

Opposite: Practice presentations are observed by faculty, staff, and industry partners.

Above: BSCI students (left to right) Nick Brown, Wilson Morgan, Jared Smith, Richard Conway and Trent Ashoo, led by faculty Drew Yantis and Mike Hosey, placed third in the Commercial Division. Team member Justin Wilkes not pictured.

Right: BSCI graduate students (left to right) Liam O'Daniel, Rohan Rameshchandra Sawant, Helen Katherine Schanbacher, Stephan Jones, Muhammad Umer, and Jennie Powers, coached by faculty Salman Azhar, placed second in Graduate Risk and Financial Management.

Right: (Left to right) BSCI students Reed Henderson and Kyle Tankersley, BSCI faculty Eric Wetzel, and BSCI students Joel Davis and Kevin Pate placed third in the Heavy Civil Division at ASC's 2021 Region 2 competition in Atlanta, Georgia.

In late October, several teams entered ASC Region 2’s competition in a hybrid format. This competition began with a virtual program kick off and workday on campus and ended with all teams traveling to Peachtree City for in-person student presentations and awards. Faculty members Richard Burt, Salman Azhar, Wes Collins, Mike Hosey, Darren Olsen, Eric Wetzel and Drew Yantis, along with BSCI staff member David Royer, led several teams who placed third in the Commercial Division, second in Graduate Risk and Financial Management and third in the Heavy Civil Division. Yantis, a current faculty member and former industry professional, has participated in competitions before as a sponsor and judge, but this was his first time coaching a team. “I was extremely impressed by our students’ dedication and commitment to prepare and deliver excellent proposals and presentations,” he stated. “The students’ positive energy and enthusiasm will serve them extremely well in both internships and full-time employment.”

Above: The ASC Region 3 team included (left to right) BSCI students Seth Ward, Adam Lether, Anna Cory, Ashleigh Harris, and ‘Ab’ Abernathy, coached by BSCI faculty Tom Leathem.

ASC Region 8

In early November, students were able to return to international competition. Faculty members Paul Holley and Alan Bugg took two teams to the campus of Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom to compete in ASC’s Region 8 competition. Holley’s team won first place in international CM/QS (estimating, scheduling and management) and Bugg’s students placed second in international design/build. The teams arrived on Monday, November 8, had a workday on Wednesday, and then completed the competition event on Thursday and Friday.

Students and faculty did some sightseeing in London on Tuesday after their arrival, including visits to Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral. “This was a great experience for our students in a number of ways,” said Holley. “Aside from the obvious thrill of finishing in first and second place, it represented a return to traveling abroad and immersion into an international culture. Our students also made friends with students from competing European teams and were flattered to be ambassadors of Building Science and Auburn University.”

Above: Auburn's first international competition since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ASC Region 8 gave BSCI students and

Top: (Left to right) Professor Paul Holley coached building science students Libby Butler, Seth Shirley, William Bailey and Will Tanner in ASC's Region 8 competition, and the team placed first in international CM/QS.

faculty sightseeing opportunities such as Buckingham Palace.

ASC Region 6/7

In February, students returned to ASC Region 6/7 in Reno, Nevada, competing in the Electrical, VDC and Graduate categories. Faculty members Jeff Kim, Salman Azhar, Mark Tatum and Allen Conradi took several teams to compete. With a workday on Thursday, presentations on Friday and awards on Saturday, the students enjoyed the in-person event’s opening banquet, a career fair with over 100 companies represented and a post-competition celebration night at the Nugget Casino.

Auburn competed in the VDC competition against 10 other schools, and while they did not place, the students enjoyed the experience and the competition. All the students are eager to return in 2023 for the next competition.

Above: BSCI students placed second in ASC's Region 8 international design/build division. From left to right: Alan Bugg (AU Coach), Lily Ledbetter (AU), Kurt Middleton (AU), Macy Walker (AU), Hollie Davies (BCU) , Fiona Bangoy (AU), Reese Blakesly (BCU), Daniel Highfield (BCU), Angela Kilby (BCU Coach).

This was a great experience for our students in a number of ways. Aside from the obvious thrill of finishing in first and second place, it represented a return to traveling abroad and immersion into an international culture.”

PAUL HOLLEY

ASC Region 5

ASC’s Region 5 competition in Dallas, Texas, was held in late February. This was also a hybrid competition, with Assistant Professor Alan Bugg’s team working on Auburn’s campus on a Saturday, traveling to Dallas that Sunday and being in-person for presentations and awards on Monday. The team was originally to be composed of three students from Auburn and three students from Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom. However, the team found out the week before that the BCU students were unable to attend and had to be replaced by three more Auburn students. The team won first place in the graduate level Design-Build category, an impressive feat considering it was composed of just one graduate student and five undergrads. Additionally, senior Macy Walker won Best Presenter for the entire competition.

CIOB Global Student Challenge

MARK TAYLOR

Associated Builders and Contractors

In mid-March, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) held a competition in San Antonio, Texas. Assistant Professor April Simons led a team of students who began virtually with pre-competition work on campus and a video chat with judges. The team’s preliminary task was to put together a proposal for a five-story office building in Austin, Texas, and submit it to the judges prior to traveling to San Antonio. The proposal included a budget, schedule, project management plan, site utilization plan and a safety plan as well as background information on the fictitious company the team has established for the project.

Once they arrived in San Antonio, the team faced a series of changes, announced at a rate of one per hour, which had to be addressed in a day-long work session, challenging the students to think fast. “There are a couple of really great things about the ABC competition,” said Professor and building science Program Chair Mark Taylor. “It is a real-life scenario of a commercial construction project, and it is also great training for BSCI 4990, our senior thesis class. The ABC competition is, in essence, a mini-thesis.”

Run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the eighth annual Global Student Challenge began in March. Senior Lecturer Hunter McGonagill led four teams of four students in this virtual competition, including 13 building construction juniors, two pre-building science students and one returning senior who has previously competed in the Global Student Challenge. Team members played an online game which simulates managing a construction company, and after six weeks the top teams competed in the final round in April. "While we did not officially place, we were included in the top ten, an incredible accomplishment for an international competition. These teams brought professionalism and excellence to this year's CIOB Global Student Challenge," McGonagill added. “Competitions are a hallmark of Auburn Building Science, and I know I speak for all Building Science faculty, staff and students when I say we look forward to what the next competition season will bring.”

Platinum Fulcrum Construction Gold Batson-Cook

• Brasfield & Gorrie Dunn Building Company

• JE Dunn New South Construction

• Evergreen Hoar Construction

• Robins & Morton

Silver

Carroll Daniel Construction

• EMJ Construction Holder Construction

• Kiewit Messer Construction

• Rabren

Bronze MJ Harris • Seay Seay and Litchfield

Thank you again to our sponsors of our 2021-2022 competition team season!

[The ABC competition] is a real-life scenario of a commercial construction project, and it is also great training for BSCI 4990, our senior thesis class.”

Auburn Students Attend Kiewit’s WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP SEMINAR

Kiewit Corporation, one of the largest construction and engineering firms in North America, hosts a two-day annual summit that draws women from all over the country.

The Women in Construction and Engineering Leadership Seminar (WCELS), focuses on the development of leadership skills for women who want to work in the construction and engineering fields. Kiewit specifically looks for applicants who have demonstrated leadership skills and a passion for the field. This year, all three nominees from Auburn’s McWhorter School of Building Science were accepted into WCELS.

Every year Kiewit invites construction management faculty members nationwide to nominate up to three students to attend WCELS. “We have had success with one student being selected each year in the past,” said Assistant Professor Lauren Redden. “This was the first time we had all three going in the same year.” This year’s attendees included seniors Fiona Mae Bangoy and Sarah Scott, who graduated in May. Underclassman and prebuilding science major Julia Helms was also chosen to attend. “I was very excited when I got the acceptance email,” Helms stated. “It made me feel like I was taking the right steps toward having a successful career in the future.”

On October 12 and 13, Bangoy, Scott and Helms attended WCELS at Kiewit’s Omaha, Nebraska, headquarters. Helms says the opportunity is a valuable experience. “I am always interested in hearing how women have found success in a male-dominated field.”

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

CADC Welcomes KATIE SMITH

Katie Smith has been named as BSCI’s new Academic Advisor.

She graduated from Auburn with a B.S. in agricultural communications and an M.S. in rural sociology. She has worked as an academic advisor and an admissions transcript analyst at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. Katie serves as the Academic Advisor for all pre-professional and professional building construction students.

LAUREN REDDEN

We have had success with one student being selected each year in the past. This was the first time we had all three [nominated students] going in the same year.”

MEET & GREETS Provide Opportunities for Engagement

Hosted by the McWhorter School of Building Science Office of Career Services, Meet & Greets are an opportunity for students to build relationships with potential employers in a casual setting.

Career Services schedules times on weekday mornings in both the fall and spring semesters for companies to visit with students in the lobby of the Gorrie Center. Students are encouraged to stop by in between classes to speak with industry representatives and ask about employment opportunities.

“Every company who participates in our career fair has the opportunity to schedule a Meet & Greet,” said Career Services Specialist Angie White. “We want to give our industry partners multiple opportunities to have face-toface conversations with our students.”

Meet & Greets are a good way for students to explore possibilities within the construction management industry by asking questions and learning about each company’s areas of focus. “I run past the Meet & Greets in the lobby all the time on my way to class,” said pre-building science major Jacob Carson. “It’s a great opportunity to stop and ask questions and to become familiar with companies in the industry, especially when you are looking for internships and jobs.” Carson appreciates that some of the companies provide breakfast or a quick snack for busy students to grab as they say hello.

[Meet and Greets are] a great opportunity to stop and ask questions and to become familiar with companies in the industry, especially when you are looking for internships and jobs.”

JACOB CARSON

All: BSCI Career Services hosted 25 Meet & Greets in the Gorrie Center Lobby in Fall 2021 and 33 this past spring.

BSCI senior Andrew Martin said he has been attending Meet & Greets for two years, and while he found his internship at the career fair, he still finds plenty of value in the Gorrie lobby visits. “I’m interning with a construction company this summer so I was able to stop by and just catch up with them. I’ve met a lot of companies at Meet & Greets that I haven’t seen in any other places.”

While Meet & Greets are clearly beneficial for students, they’re also a valuable use of time for BSCI’s industry partners. “It’s more personal than the career fair,” explained Ryan Stanford, HR Manager & Corporate EEO Officer at Caddell Construction. “We can invite students we’ve already engaged with to come have that second conversation. Every company’s out there looking for talent and skills, but we’re looking for character, and we’re looking to get to know people.” Stanford said Caddell representatives are able to stop into classes and discuss the company’s history as well as reconnect with faculty.

Sarah Carrico, Project Manager for Gray Construction and a 2020 BSCI graduate, said that the informal atmosphere makes it easy to chat with students. “Not a lot of students know about Gray, but we’re a design-build construction company headquartered in Kentucky, and we have a huge presence in the Southeast with a major office rooted in downtown Birmingham,” she explained. “Meet & Greets are a great way to get our name out there to students coming out of a really good program.”

How should students prepare for a Meet & Greet? Stanford recommends they use the time to study prospective employers by getting to know each company’s team members and connecting with them on LinkedIn. Students can sign up to receive e-mails from companies and watch the Meet & Greet schedule for opportunities to check in. Résumés aren’t necessary because this is a chance to encounter a familiar face and have a friendly conversation. “Nothing replaces being in person, especially after the last two years,” Stanford said.

All: Meet & Greets are a great way for students to explore possibilities within the construction management industry by asking questions and learning about each company’s areas of focus.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

TROY FUNK

Troy Funk is Chief of the Construction Division for the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A graduate of BSCI’s Executive Graduate Certificate Program, Funk holds a Master of Building Construction (MBC) degree from Auburn as well as a bachelor’s in civil engineering from California State University-Fullerton. His area of expertise is construction management and contract administration.

Originally an active-duty Army engineer stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Funk learned about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) while working on a public works project. He then became a civil engineer for the Corps at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, where, as Resident Engineer, he was assigned to several high-profile contracts, including the 5th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Complex at Fort Stewart, Winn Army Community Hospital Addition and Emergency Department at Fort Stewart and the nearly complete Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, which will deepen the Savannah River from 42 to 47 feet. Funk was later selected as the Chief of Design Branch in the Savannah District’s Engineering Division, where he oversaw the schedules and quality for all assigned designs within the Savannah District.

As the current Chief of Construction, Funk is responsible for the execution of over $500 million in construction contracts across military installations annually in Georgia and North Carolina. Funk said he was able to complete the Executive Graduate Certificate Program because of support from the USACE. Although he appreciated the remote program’s flexibility, he most enjoyed the time in person with faculty members. “The weeklong onsite courses were my favorite part of the program,” he stated. “This gave us a chance to immerse in the program without the distractions of our day-to-day jobs and to see the Auburn campus up close.”

As the current Chief of Construction, Funk is responsible for the execution of over $500 million in construction contracts across military installations annually in Georgia and North Carolina.”

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

MACKENZIE SEARLE

Mackenzie Searle is currently a Senior Construction Engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she is responsible for developing and maintaining enterprise-wide policies, guidance and best practices regarding design, construction and construction project management for USACE’s over $15 billion annual construction portfolio.

Her primary area of expertise is in addressing construction contract administration challenges and balancing postaward resourcing and risk alignment. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, she has kept busy providing guidance and support to field teams responding to the unique challenges and contract issues arising from various local, state and national COVID-19 policies.

Prior to joining the headquarters’ Construction team, Searle was a Resident Engineer and Administrative Contracting Officer leading the development and execution of construction contracts at Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Searle says that her favorite project was the $390 million Martin Army Community Hospital Replacement, the Army’s first ever design-build hospital. She is most proud of the fact that the team on this project served as the model of an integrated Project Delivery Team committed to providing a world-class health facility for the Fort Benning community on time, under budget and with high quality.

In 2013, Searle completed Auburn’s Executive Graduate Certificate Program to earn her Master of Building Construction degree. She is a registered Professional Engineer and also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Florida. She has served as an Ex-Officio member on the Board of Directors for the Construction Management Association of America since 2019.

Searle credits Auburn’s program, and support from her mentor Assistant Professor Alan Bugg, with helping her achieve success in her field, and she fondly remembers Paul Holley and Ben Farrow as being some of her favorite instructors. “Paul Holley’s scheduling class provided techniques to assess the construction schedule sequencing and identify potential issues before they impacted the project. Both Paul and Ben really challenged me to see the construction processes, from pre-award planning and bidding through turnover, from the contractor’s perspective.”

Her primary area of expertise is in addressing construction contract administration challenges and balancing post-award resourcing and risk alignment.”

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