A presentation given at the 39th Annual NCPA Concrete Paving Workshop by Daniel G. Linzel, PhD, P.E., University of Nebraska Department of Engineering

1. Attracting the Younger Generation to
Civil Engineering & Construction
Daniel G. Linzell, Ph.D., P.E.
Voelte-Keegan Professor and Chair
Department of Civil Engineering

2. •The Student of Today
•Secondary Ed
•Higher Ed
•The Civil Engineer/Builder of Today
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Was?
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Is?
•The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Are We Ready?
•How Can We Help?
Attracting the Younger Generation

3. •The Student of Today
•Secondary Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

4. •The Student of Today
•Secondary Ed
•Five Facts about How Students
Want to Learn
•1. Students are using YouTube and other
online video sources for self-directed
learning.
•2. Students’ social media use is evolving.
•3. Students want to learn in school with a
digital device.
•4. Students want to use digital games for
learning.
5. Students want to code, especially
girls.
Attracting the Younger Generation
https://edexcellence.net/publications/what-teens-want-from-their-schools

5. •The Student of Today
•Secondary Ed
•Five Facts about How Students
Want to Learn
•1. Students are using YouTube and other
online video sources for self-directed
learning.
•2. Students’ social media use is evolving.
•3. Students want to learn in school with a
digital device.
•4. Students want to use digital games for
learning.
5. Students want to code, especially
girls.
Attracting the Younger Generation
https://edexcellence.net/publications/what-teens-want-from-their-schools

6. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

7. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation
18 million undergraduates, > 40% go to community
college
Over half of all undergraduates live at home to make
degrees more affordable
40% of students work at least 30 hours a week.
About 25 percent work full-time and go to school full-
time.
A quarter of undergraduates are older than 25

8. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

9. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

10. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

11. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

12. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
Attracting the Younger Generation

13. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

14. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

15. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

16. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

17. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

18. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation

19. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation
AND

20. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation
ASEE

21. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation
THIS IS WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT….

22. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation
WHAT DO WE DO??

23. •The Student of Today
•Higher Ed
•So what?
Attracting the Younger Generation
TALK ABOUT “US” FIRST

24. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Today
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Was?
•US Navy (1950s)
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGC9xzb3Ys
Attracting the Younger Generation
http://www.matichcorp.com/project-gallery/highways/

25. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Today
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Is?
•ASCE
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJaRjI7K-Lw
Attracting the Younger Generation
American Concrete Institute
http://www.resonantmachines.com/Rubblizing/tabid/207/Default.aspx

26. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•ASCE
•http://www.asce.org/vision2025/
•ICE (= Brits)
•https://www.newcivilengineer.com/business-
culture/future-engineer-skills-for-
2020/10012411.article
Attracting the Younger Generation

27. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Elon Musk
•https://www.wired.com/2017/04/elon-musk-layers-
crazy-plan-traffic-killing-tunnels/
•https://www.tesla.com/semi/
Attracting the Younger Generation

28. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Volvo
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx9EFJ6qgZc
• Intel
•Integrated Roadways
•http://integratedroadways.com/
Attracting the Younger Generation
CNN

29. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of
Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Construction
•https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-
work/start-ups/how-chip-design-can-teach-us-to-
build-better-hospitals
Attracting the Younger Generation

30. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of
Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Materials
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr_Lngw4aBk
•http://ducon.eu/
•https://vimeo.com/238567473
Attracting the Younger Generation

31. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of
Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
Attracting the Younger Generation

32. doctorates
Red: China
Blue: US
bachelors
The Coming Civil and Environmental Engineering
Renaissance
Glenn Bell, CEO, SGH, Developing the Next Generation of Civil and Environmental
Engineers, Northeastern University, April 2016
The Renaissance Civil Engineer

33. • Polymath Guru
• Value Creator
• Inventor
• Practitioner/Teacher/Re
searcher
• Global Practitioner
• Project Leader
• Societal Leader
The Renaissance Civil Engineer
SUPER
CIVIL ENGINEER
Glenn Bell, CEO, SGH, Developing the Next Generation of Civil and Environmental
Engineers, Northeastern University, April 2016

34. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Education
Attracting the Younger Generation

35. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Education
Attracting the Younger Generation

36. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Education
Attracting the Younger Generation

37. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Education
•https://engineering.unl.edu/downloads/civil/2017-
2018_CIVE_Undergratuate_Program_Manual_Omaha.
pdf
Attracting the Younger Generation

38. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Education
•https://engineering.unl.edu/downloads/civil/2017-
2018_CIVE_Undergratuate_Program_Manual_Omaha.
pdf
Attracting the Younger Generation

39. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•Market
•https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/education/edlife/st
em-jobs-industry-careers.html
Attracting the Younger Generation

40. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•Are We Ready?
•UNL CIVE
•http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-
development-goals/
Attracting the Younger Generation

41. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Education – K-12
•Continue Advance coordiNate
Attracting the Younger Generation

42. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Education – Higher Ed
•Continue Advance coordiNate
Attracting the Younger Generation

43. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Education – Higher Ed
•ASCE, ABET, ASEE, ECL-USA…
Attracting the Younger Generation

44. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Education – Higher Ed
•ASCE, ABET, ASEE, ECL-USA…
Attracting the Younger Generation

45. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Industry
•TALK TO ME
•GET INVOLVED
•PUSH THE ENVELOPE
•BE WILLING TO EMPLOY AND
CHALLENGE
Attracting the Younger Generation

46. •The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•How Can We Help?
•Industry
AND
Attracting the Younger Generation

47. Attracting the Younger Generation

48. •The Student of Today
•Secondary Ed
•Higher Ed
•The Civil Engineer/Builder of Today
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Was?
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Is?
•The Civil Engineer/Builder of Tomorrow
•A Civil Engineer/Builder Will Be?
•Are We Ready?
•How Can We Help?
Attracting the Younger Generation

49. Daniel Linzell, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Voelte-Keegan Professor and Chair
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska
844 N. 16th St., N104 SLNK, P.O. Box 886105, Lincoln, NE 68588-6105
205E Peter Kiewit Institute, 1110 South 67th Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0176
402-472-8036 (L) 402-554-3272 (O) | dlinzell@unl.edu | http://civil.unl.edu/
|@dlinzell
Attracting the Younger Generation