55 Student Projects Showcase Innovation at 2025 Research Symposium

The Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) at NC State hosted its 2025 Environmental, Water Resources, and Coastal (EWC) Engineering Graduate Research Symposium on Friday, March 21, at Fitts-Woolard Hall and Hunt Library. This year’s event welcomed more than 130 attendees, including students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals, for a day of research presentations, networking, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The symposium featured 55 graduate student presentations—41 posters and 14 oral presentations—highlighting a range of topics in environmental, water resources, and coastal engineering.

“It was inspiring to bring together more than 130 students, faculty, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and celebrate student research,” said Symposium Chair and CCEE PhD student Thomas Thelen. “Events like this are so important for our graduate students to build connections across our field. I am truly proud of our 55 student presenters for delivering an exceptional showcase of the department’s environmental, water resources, and coastal engineering research. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Lund for his powerful keynote, our amazing student committee leads, and the volunteer judges from local engineering firms whose financial support makes this event possible.”

This year’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Jay R. Lund, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Vice Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. His talk offered insight into water management challenges and innovations that resonated with both students and faculty.

“Events like this are so important for our graduate students to build connections across our field,” said Symposium Chair and CCEE PhD student Thomas Thelen.

Student award winners were recognized for excellence in both oral and poster presentations:

• Oral Presentations:
  • Kichul Bae – First Place, Room 1
  • Michaela Morales – First Place, Room 2
• Poster Presentations:
  • Peyton Woodruff-Steffen – First Place
  • Sarah Teagle – Second Place
  • Andie Toney – Third Place
  • Nahruma Mehzabeen Pieu – People’s Choice Award

The event was organized by a dedicated team of graduate student leaders: Thomas Thelen (Symposium Chair), Peyton Woodruff-Steffen (Programs and Abstracts Chair), Molly McKenna (Food Committee Chair), Sarangi Joseph (In-Person Logistics Chair), Nicole Arrigo (Visiting Student Logistics Chair), and Jenero Knowles (Scheduling and Activities Chair).

The EWC Graduate Research Symposium continues to grow each year, creating meaningful opportunities for students to gain professional experience, engage with leaders in the field, and present their cutting-edge research to a supportive and collaborative community.

• 

• 

• 

•