(upbeat classical music)

- [Michelle] Hello and thank you

for tuning in to Connections
and Directions, our University

of Michigan's Civil and
Environmental Engineering podcast.

My name is Michelle Santillan

and I am the CEE marketing
communications specialist

and host of this series.

During our podcast, we
are featuring members

of our CEE community and how
their work reflects our mission

of engineers and service to society.

We will be highlighting
our strategic directions

and our commitment to diversity,
equity, and inclusion.

CEE's five strategic directions are:

human habitat experience,
shaping resource flows,

adaptation, automation and
smart infrastructure finance.

I'm here today with students

in our Masters Program who are also

in our Pelham Scholars
Program, Justin Avila

and Xiao Xiao Wen.

They're both in civil engineering.

Justin is focused on
construction engineering

and Xiao Xiao is focused
on structural engineering.

I'd like to welcome you
both to our podcast today.

- [Xiao] Thank you for having us.

- [Michelle] You're welcome.

How do you as a student
see yourself participating

in CEE's strategic directions?

- [Justin] Like I think that like, a lot

of like these initiatives
are very beneficial

for construction engineering
because if anything,

I'm currently taking a
scheduling class and we're

on the topic right now of mitigating like,

resources because if you
have a construction project

and you need about 18 people
just for like, one day,

that's going to cost a lot of money

and it's gonna be very difficult
to get those resources.

So a lot of like, the resource flow

and smart infrastructure, if anything,

I'm actually planning on
doing research under Dr. Kamat

and Menassa next semester, dealing

with smart infrastructure and a lot

of these initiatives, all combined,

can really improve society.

- [Xiao] I think the
first thing that comes

to mind as like a civil
engineering student,

the two topics that I
would see most people adapt

to are like, adaptation and
shaping human resources.

And as a student at CEE,
I see a lot of like,

my peers and me joining
project teams that cater

to our interests and

with like, the current societal
topics on climate change,

I could see a lot of the
younger generation trying

to do the best they can to
participate in that topic

and that discussion.

Joining project teams
for a lot of the students

and myself included
really is just an exposure

for us to see how we can
participate in our society

without like, having major
consequences associated

with our actions yet.

And it's a really fun and exploratory way

for us to understand the
topic a little bit more.

And since adaptation is such
an important topic right now,

regarding everything that's
going on in the world,

I think we can really do our part

as engineers to help shape
that conversation the way

that the younger generation
will want it to go.

- [Michelle] So then that
leads into the question.

How does our mission in CEE

of being engineers in service
to society resonate with you?

- [Justin] Well the way
that it resonates with me is

that it's more as in that
since we're engineers,

we shouldn't just strive for
good, we should just strive

for great because a lot of what
we do has a massive impact.

If we do have a miscalculation

on a structural member
or something like that,

that can have like, huge consequences,

even as something as small

as (indistinct) getting a
larger member can cost a lot

of money for our owners.

And if our owner is the
public like, for some sort

of like public transportation
or like, organization,

then we're actually just hurting like,

the society that we're currently in.

So for me, being an engineer

in service to society is meaning to strive

for greatness in what we're trying to do.

- [Xiao] Yeah, I totally agree.

I remember taking CEE 402 which
is the senior design class

and one of the topics
was how to become like,

a professional engineer.

And in it, they explain
like the the code of ethics,

like the honor you abide

by when you become a
professional engineer.

And I think as civil
engineers, you have a lot

of responsibility in terms

of like, how you will
service your community,

your society, and there's a
lot to think about financially.

And obviously like, you're
building the buildings

and there's a lot of responsibility

on your back and sometimes
it helps to think

that you can just take
a step back and look

over your work and know that
you're making quite a big

of impact and just, you
know, engineer in service

to society kind of to me
means you are held accountable

for the things that you do but also,

it gives you a lot of pride

in the work that you do once
you actually accomplish it.

- [Michelle] How do you
see DEI incorporated

in our department?

Not necessarily specific
to a certain class

or a specific research area,
but overall in our department.

- [Justin] So for me, I
see DEI I guess just like,

in the civil department
all over the place.

Like, all of like the professors

in the construction program actually come

from like, different backgrounds

and have like, different
places that they come from.

In my classes, it's really interesting.

I'm talking to people.

There's a guy who I'm friends

with who's from Cairo, one from Lebanon.

There's a couple people,
one from Malaysia.

There's like, people from
just all over the world.

And for me, I really appreciate

and I really like this
sort of blending of culture

because if anything, I
actually like culture so much,

I actually studied abroad
during my sophomore year

at my old university.

And that's just one way of
how diversity is represented.

Then there's also the
other way which is more

as in personality wise.

You have, for example, two
of my friends are actually

from the military and they
have like, their own like,

unique skill sets and
their own backgrounds

and they're from two different
branches of the military.

Also, there's a couple
of people who are like,

really into art.

Me myself, I'm really

into programming but
there's another friend who's

from India and she's really into fencing.

So, it's not just like, I guess as far

as like, where your location is from

but also there's a lot of DEI as far

as like, personality types
because everyone is different,

even if we all come
from the same place, so.

And I found that really cool inside

of the civil engineering department.

- [Xiao] For me, DEI
really means making sure

that every student feels
comfortable in the department.

So for example, I looked at the statistics

for CEE recently and there's,

I think it was like 40 percent women.

I do wanna say that

in my four years of undergrad and CEE,

I never once felt
uncomfortable in the department

and I think that really having
so many female colleagues

and peers helped me feel that way.

I will say, there are some
improvements to be made

to the department, I mean,
to every single department.

There always are improvements

and I think starting by looking

at like, incorporating more diverse hires

at all levels within the department,

whether it's faculty, staff, students.

It is one way to start
and I've been involved

with the CEE DEI committee
before and I think one

of the sectors that we were looking

at is making sure that like,

the CCE international
students feel more comfortable

within the department
also because they make

up quite a big percentage
of the department.

And some ways that
they've started doing ways

to make them feel more
comfortable is, maybe,

just picking them up

from the airport when they
first arrived to America,

having a ton

of resources available online
regarding their visa status,

and just knowing ways
to point them to help

if they needed it.

And I think that's like,
really small things

that the department could incorporate

that would really make a big difference

to how the students would
be able to feel comfortable.

- [Michelle] And why did
you choose University

of Michigan's CEE program?

What would you say

to prospective students who
are considering applying here?

- [Justin] I initially started
at the University of Buffalo

and the reason why I
picked civil engineering

for University of
Buffalo is because, well,

initially I actually wanted
to do psychology when I was

in high school because I didn't start

off in University of Michigan and I'll get

into like, why I picked
University of Michigan

for civil engineering.

But for why I picked civil engineering

in general as like, an actual
degree to pursue in, it was

because I didn't really
know much about engineering

and I wanted to do something
that was meaningful

while also being able to be outside.

Like, I didn't wanna sit
behind a desk all day.

And so I picked civil engineering
for University of Buffalo.

There's actually an interesting story

if we have time that I can tell

about how I was able to even get

into the engineering department,

but over the years when I was

in my undergrad school,
I started to get more

and more involved with coding also.

And I really want to get involved

with construction because
I took a construction class

and I really liked that class

and I want to pursue this more.

And since the construction
engineering management was

at like, the department, like the family

that actually invented construction,

engineering management came
from University of Michigan,

I thought that it'd be very
beneficial to my education

and just the opportunities to
go to University of Michigan.

And the other thing that I really liked

about University of
Michigan was that three

of the four professors
were using computer science

as a way like, something in like robotics

or just like with like,
using like some sort

of like, data sets
using some sort of like,

programming stuff to improve
construction engineering.

And because of that, I was really excited

and luckily I was able to get

into the University of of Michigan.

And so, that's kind of why
I picked the University

of Michigan civil
engineering department was

because I want to do
something that was involved

with both computer science
and construction engineering

and I felt that University

of Michigan has like,
the blend of both worlds.

I mean, I can even go

into a little bit of details
like for example like,

Dr. Kamat was just doing a presentation

in our class yesterday where
it was using virtual reality

to improve the ways of how
you can see pipes underground.

Now, this is extremely important because

if you're trying to do site work

and trying to excavate the soil,

if you hit a power line or
like, well not power line

'cause it probably
wouldn't be underground,

but if you hit like some
sort of like water line

or something like that,

like now people are either
going to get injured

because there's now gonna be like, dirt

and like debris inside the
water that they're drinking

or it's just gonna cause like
a whole bunch of problems.

And so it's very important to know

about this and by having extra technology

and to improve these
functions not only will like,

just be very beneficial to society.

And for me personally, I'd love to be

at the forefront of this because

that's why I wanna do research
is because I wanna like, look

up all this new technology and really come

up with innovative ways
to do things like this.

And I feel that like,

with my skills in both
construction engineering

and computer science that
like, to end with the backing

from the resources at
University of Michigan

that this will be the
best way to move forward.

- [Michelle] And you were referring

to the John L. Tishman
family when you talked

about the the family

that has established
construction management, correct?

- [Justin] Yeah.

- [Michelle] So, yes.

And Professor Kamat just
received an endowed professorship

from them, so it is great the
way you made that connection.

And how about with you?

- [Xiao] The reason why I
picked civil engineering was

because I wanted to see my
work like, become fruitful.

I know there's something

about physically seeing your
work that gives me a lot

of pride, which is why I
considered civil engineering.

I think when I was little, I
wanted to become an architect.

I wanted to see my art being presented

to the world in like, a very
beautiful and meaningful way.

As I grew older, I realized
that I think I had a little bit

of more of a mathematical
side to me so I was like,

"Oh, what's the next best
thing? Oh, civil engineering."

And I think that's still
my goal to this day.

I wanted to contribute to a skyline.

It's something that I've
been striving towards.

And I also think as a civil
engineer, you can make a lot

of important decisions
regarding sustainability

because constructions and
buildings make up of 40 percent

of the carbon emission
in the United States

and I think as a civil
engineer, you could choose

on projects that are
meaningful to you, whether

or not it uses materials
that you prefer like,

I think my thing is with
wood and timber, you can take

on really interesting
projects that are meaningful

to the community that you are in.

So for example, one of
my friend is working

on a community hospital right now,

which I think is really cool

and it's something that you
could be incredibly proud

of while serving your community,

going back to our previous questions.

And to prospective students who want

to join the department,
specifically to Michigan CEE,

I think CEE gave me a lot
of my really good friends.

You have the resource of
a big, public university

but since our department
is a little bit smaller

than other ones, you
get to know your peers.

You get to know your classmate very well

within your four years here and it kind

of builds your tight-knit
community who you can depend

on while you still get
exposure to, you know,

world class education, essentially.

- [Michelle] And as you said,

you have the ability to
leave a lasting legacy,

if you will, with the
various either buildings

or other structures that
you contribute toward.

Has to be quite meaningful as well.

- [Xiao] Mhm.

- [Michelle] Do you
have one pearl of wisdom

from your experience in CEE

that you would like to share
with a prospective student?

- [Xiao] Yes.

I will say that, don't be
afraid to try everything

that Michigan engineering are
able to offer, even beyond.

I think there's a lot of
opportunity that students may miss

on the daily that could
really help shape your point

of view, your opinions.

So I would say to just keep looking

at newsletters that are sent out

by the college of
engineering every single day.

See if there's any events
that you are interested in.

Even on the more broader scale,
like just studying abroad,

Michigan engineering has a ton of funding.

I would say, don't let
financials to be a limitation

because you are able to
essentially explore what you want

and getting to explore different cultures

from a different lens like,
being there is really important.

And that's actually how I got interested

in sustainability is
because I study abroad

in Japan and I see how they
took environmental engineering

so seriously and that's something

that I wanna incorporate
back into my future.

And I just think trying
out different events,

different clubs will
help you start thinking

about what you find
valuable in your education

and start narrowing
from that point onwards.

- [Justin] Also, whatever
you're going to do,

definitely put your
best foot foot forward.

Now it might sound a bit
intimidating because like, okay,

every single thing I have to do,

putting your best foot forward is going

to be very difficult.

But you don't always
have to like, you know,

put in like a hundred
percent of like your energy,

but like just put in like,
you know, like 80 percent.

or just, you know, try
whatever you think you can

because a lot of times if you're
gonna commit to something,

like if you want to join
or let's say that like,

'cause we were talking about
studying abroad earlier,

let's say that like you want
to study abroad in like the UK

but you're in the UK and you
only just stay with like,

the people that you're with
from like, your actual program.

Well then you're not necessarily like,

exploring new cultures
or anything like that

and you're not really putting in like,

your best foot forward.

So the only other like, I guess tip

of advice that I would give
that's also pertaining,

'cause I definitely agree that like,

you should try as many
activities as you can,

but one addition to that
would also be to do your best

with them, especially before
you really commit to something

because if you try your best on it,

even if like your best isn't good enough,

at least you now know, okay,
at least you now can learn

from that and know now what
worked and what didn't work.

- [Michelle] How has being involved

in our Pelham Scholars Program
influenced your experience,

here in CEE?

- [Xiao] I think my experience

as a Pelham scholar made
me feel more connected

with the people in the CEE
community here at Michigan.

I joined my, I think, sophomore year.

It was right after I
transferred into engineering

from college of literature,
science and arts here

at University of Michigan.

And at the time when I
first joined engineering,

I was feeling a little bit lost

and I think I joined the Pelham
Scholar Program just to see

if this is another venture

to make a little bit more connections

within the department and
also make a little bit

of some friends

and I think I got a lot
more of that out of it

than I've realized.

It's a wonderful program where
you are matched to a mentor

but also, you get to connect
with your fellow peers

and it made me feel like
I'm part of a community

since there are so many people who are

in a similar position as me

and I think it's a really great
way for students to connect

and build connections.

There's also a ton of
networking opportunities

and workshops available
where they help you advance

as an engineer, as a
person and making sure

that you do well in school.

So, I'm really grateful for
this community and I truly think

that it set me up for
success as a CEE student.

- [Justin] At my old university,

there wasn't really this
like community of like,

the Pelham scholar where it was a bunch

of people from like, different backgrounds

and we're all able to have
like, these workshops.

We're actually gonna be having
a workshop later on today

but like, the workshops,
we have like our mentors

and it's a really wholesome experience

because I never really, I
guess, got like a mentor before.

A lot of the things that I learned

at like my university,
I had to, I guess like,

a lot of like the industry experience,

I talked to a lot of
different professors about it,

talked to a lot of different
people in like industry.

And having this sort of connection,
especially in University

of Michigan where there
is such a wide network

for it, is very like, important.

And it also helped me get adjusted

to the school more because I'm
not only coming to University

of Michigan, but I'm also
coming to the state of Michigan.

This is my second time in
the state of Michigan and

by having this sort of
network of like, friends like,

really like, even help me decide to come

to University of Michigan,
you're in like a massive school

and this program will help
you develop your friends

and not only will they be
in like the exact same,

like it's not just people who are

in the exact same class as you.

They're similar because they're all

in like, civil engineering,
but they're all

from like, different
backgrounds of civil engineering

so it adds more diversity to
your friend group as well.

- [Michelle] Thank you so
much for joining us today.

(upbeat classical music)

Thank you for listening to
our podcast conversation.

For more information
about CEE at Michigan,

please visit our website at cee.umich.edu.

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