STUDENT LIFE
Student organizations not only expand and enhance the educational experience, but also create a dynamic college environment. Students in the department of civil and environmental engineering have no shortage of such opportunities to connect and collaborate outside of the classroom — to have fun, explore their passions, and make lasting connections with peers, faculty, and working engineers.
Lehigh’s student groups offer opportunities to experiment in the engineering world on local, national, and international levels. Events run the gamut from social hours and sport outings to career fairs and conventions.
ASCE STUDENT CHAPTER
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a national organization for the advancement of students and professionals working in civil engineering. For more than 150 years, ASCE has been facilitating the advancement and success of young engineers. Lehigh’s student chapter prepares civil engineering majors for life after graduation through its heavy involvement in the professional realm. An active event calendar provides frequent occasions for students to connect with local practicing engineers, which leads to opportunities for internships, summer jobs, and post-graduate careers. Each fall, approximately 50 engineering corporations unite for a career fair devoted solely to students in civil engineering.
Aside from creating valuable career contacts, the ASCE student chapter connects students with peers and professionals through weekly social events and annual outings. Some of these events include seminars, meet-and-greets with professors, weekly social hours, and bowling and mini-golf excursions.
ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS
EWB is an international non-profit organization with a flourishing chapter at Lehigh and in the greater Lehigh Valley. This association empowers budding engineers by facilitating humanitarian efforts around the world. EWB gives students the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and gain hands-on experience in the field, while providing necessary services to people in need.
Last year, the Lehigh chapter began an ongoing effort to improve water supply quality and sustainability in Pueblo Nuevo, Honduras. Lehigh’s EWB students were involved in every aspect of the mission including project design, fund-raising, and outreach.
While EWB undertakings are largely reliant on the talent of engineering students, the missions also require people equipped to deal with related social issues. Students and professors of politics, international relations, foreign languages, and sociology are needed to promote communication and ensure the new equipment is embraced and adopted by the local people. The goal of EWB is to become an interdisciplinary group that can offer not only engineering advancements, but also provide them in a dynamic and cohesive way.
CHI EPSILON
This National Civil Engineering Honors Society is dedicated to upholding and promoting the field of civil engineering as an ideal profession. The society recognizes, nurtures, and commends engineering students that show excellence in their studies. Juniors with GPAs in the upper third of their class and seniors with GPAs in the top half of their class are invited into this association for lifelong memberships. Chi Epsilon is also a pivotal association for rising sophomores, as professors from each field lend them guidance on the different realms of engineering. Aside from recognizing accomplished students, the society connects students with professional engineers and sparks internship and career advancements.
FRITZ ENGINEERING RESEARCH SOCIETY
The Fritz Engineering Research Society (FERS) was founded in 1935 and is headquartered at the Fritz Engineering Research Laboratory at Lehigh University. The mission of FERS, as stated in its constitution, is "the interchange of ideas among the entire membership." This professional organization promotes experimental research in all areas of civil engineering. Membership to FERS is life-long, and currently boasts a network of more than 1,100 active members in both industry and academia.
FERS gives graduate students the opportunity to get involved in many aspects of the CEE department. The society hosts seminar lectures in the fall semester that feature speakers from academia and industry. In addition to creating an academic support network, FERS doubles as a social outlet from the rigors of research. The society regularly sponsors events such as happy hours, intramural sports (summer softball champs 2010!), movie nights, and other outings.
