Concrete Industry Management eNews |
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South Dakota State University Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
South Dakota State University (SDSU) held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 31 to officially announce it is the 5th university in the country to offer the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program. In Dec. 2020, after a six-month selection process by the National Steering Committee (NSC) and the North Central Region Patrons, the NSC announced that SDSU’s Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering will offer a degree in CIM beginning Fall 2021.
To find out more about the program and see a video of the ceremony, click this link.
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Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program is celebrating its 25th anniversary. First introduced in 1996 with two students, the undergraduate program now includes nearly 500 students at program universities including Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU); California State University, Chico; Texas State University; New Jersey Institute of Technology and our newest program at South Dakota State University’s Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. To date, more than 1,500 students have graduated from CIM programs with the skill set necessary to meet the growing demands of the progressively changing concrete industry.
Mark your calendar! A 25th anniversary celebration is scheduled for the evening of Oct. 26 at MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tenn. More details will be forthcoming.
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CIM Students: There is Still Time to Apply For AOE Fellowship
In 2020, AOE – a fully-owned subsidiary of ACI – launched a fellowship specifically for students of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program. AOE is a long-time supporter of CIM, having helped with the program’s marketing efforts for more than a decade. The AOE award is available to undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree as part of the CIM program. First preference will be given to students interested in the sales/marketing, association management, or business side of the concrete industry. An internship with AOE is optional.
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Student Research Project Accepted for ACI Convention
Congratulations to CIM student Aubrey Miller! Her research project has been accepted for the upcoming American Concrete Institute's (ACI) Fall Convention. Her project, "Assessing the performance of SCC concrete reinforced with recycled toothbrush fiber," determines the feasibility of using the bristles of a toothbrush as fiber reinforcement in concrete. One of the main objectives of Miller's research is to assess the shrinkage performance and evaluate other aspects as a way to better understand the behavior of the fiber. Great work Aubrey!
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Meet our Student Ambassadors
We are so fortunate to have an amazing group of student ambassadors this year. They are fantastic representatives of the CIM program, working in recruitment by visiting local high schools and eventually community colleges. They are also internal liaisons for the program, fostering a good environment for younger students, planning events and socials, etc. This week, in preparation for an upcoming Career Fair we are hosting, our ambassadors coordinated a resume writing and interview skills practice session for all students, as part of an ACI chapter meeting.
Our ambassadors pictured here include: Aubrey Miller, Jonathan Lopez,
Monica Marin, Casey Cowern and Yanetli Navarro-Hernandez.
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IndyCar Course Features CIM Student Expertise
The students of MTSU’s CIM program got hands-on experience recently at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. As part of an agreement with event CEO and MTSU alumni Matt Crews (‘91), the program assisted in creating an eco-friendly concrete mix for use in course barricades. The barriers are made of a lighter concrete mixture but still maintained the strength of the higher-rated concrete.
According to MTSU CIM Associate Professor Jon Huddelston, students found environmentally friendly substitutes to put into the mix that still preserved the same type of strength needed for an IndyCar race. "So all of these things go in to make it a unique green concrete mix with materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill or some type of disposal," Huddelston said.
The students also helped design the pit road portion of the track in the Nissan Stadium parking lot. To find out more about MTSU CIM’s role in this unique partnership, read this article and click on the video below.
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MTSU Holds Topping Out Ceremony for New School of CCM
MTSU recently celebrated the Concrete and Construction Management (CCM) building progress with a topping out ceremony and a signing of the final beam. Dr. McPhee and Dr. Kelly Strong recognized the CIM National Steering Committee, CIM Patrons, donors and alumni for their hard work in making this building become a reality.
MTSU personnel, Hoar Construction, donors and CCM students all signed the beam that was installed at the ceremony. MTSU’s $40.1 million School of CCM building is expected to be complete in time for fall 2022 classes. The new 54,000-square-foot building, which broke ground in April 2021, will include classrooms, offices, and lab space.
Want to check out the latest on the building’s progress? Check out this time lapse video.
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NJIT Working to Tackle Infrastructure Challenges
An article originally published in April 2021 discusses how infrastructure engineers in the 21st century face huge challenges while problem-solving on several fronts. NJIT’s Materials and Structures Laboratory is using experimental methods and computer modeling to evaluate the performance of existing and emerging construction materials and structures. The article features an interview with NJIT CIM student Yousef Elakbawy who is working with Dobco, Inc. and is the project manager for the new 150,000-square-foot Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building in Newark, N.J. Elakbawy manages many project details, from ordering structural glass and precast concrete panels to managing the budget and ensuring the worksite remains COVID free. Read the entire article to find out how other NJIT alumni are helping to prepare for infrastructure challenges.
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Student Osama Mahmoud Receives NJACI Scholarship
We are pleased to announce that Osama Mahmoud, one of our best students of the CIM program at NJIT, was recently selected by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (NJACI) to receive one of their chapter scholarships for 2021. On Aug. 11, the NJACI Scholarship Committee awarded Osama, a senior student with a dual major in architecture and CIM at NJIT, with a $3,000 award for academic excellence.
According to NJIT CIM program director Dr. Mohamed Mahgoub, “Osama is one of the students who is committed to attending all ACI events and meetings. We encourage other students to be active because as Osama stated, hard work and the extra time volunteering for events outside of the classroom does pay off.”
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Director Named For South Dakota State's New CIM Program
Tim Hostettler, a 35-year veteran of the concrete industry has been tabbed to direct the new concrete industry management program at South Dakota State University. A native of northern California, Hostettler began work as a concrete laborer at Pleasant Valley Ready Mix in Chico, Calif., in 1986. He stayed with the firm (now A&A Concrete Supply) for 31 years, holding management positions the last 20 years. Also while there, he taught night classes in the concrete industry management program at California State-Chico from 2009 to 2017.
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Bruce Berdanier, dean at the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, which will house the program, said, “Tim’s background in the industry and his experience in working with students will provide the perfect combination for launching a program that supports our mission as a land-grant university of addressing workforce needs of industries in the 12-state region and beyond. “I am so excited for SDSU and the state of South Dakota that we were chosen to deliver this important program across 25% of the United States.” Hostettler envisions a program of 80 to 100 students by the fifth or sixth year of the program.
Find out more about Tim Hostettler here.
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CIM Presents at TMRA Conference
The Texas State CIM program had the opportunity to present at the recent Texas Mining and Reclamation Association’s (TMRA) Industrial Minerals Conference. Patron board member Nancy Beltran and recruiter Christina Luna presented to teachers from across the state of Texas. At the end of the presentation, the teachers experienced mixing concrete to make their own concrete coasters and took home a few CIM goodies. Thank you to TMRA for the invite and we look forward to joining you again next year.
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Duncan Receives ICRI Scholarship
The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) has established a scholarship program to assist qualified applicants who plan to pursue post-secondary education in undergraduate college, university and vocational programs, directly related to a curriculum of study in concrete, concrete repair, architectural and engineering studies (structural and civil). We are pleased to announce that CIM student, Zach Duncan, was the recipient of the 2021 North Texas International Concrete Repair Institute Scholarship. Congratulations Zach!
Don’t miss out on scholarship opportunities! To learn more about 2021-2022 CIM Scholarships, visit our website here.
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CIM Students Network with Industry Leaders
We’ve all heard that a lot of great business is done on the golf course. And great networking too! Six CIM students will be participating in the ACI San Antonio Chapter’s annual golf tournament to be held on Sept. 24. The students will be playing on teams with leaders in the industry. What a great opportunity for them to network and meet concrete business leaders. If you are interested in participating, contact Christina Luna for more information.
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