BCT Students’ Preconstruction Team wins First Place at ASC Region 1 Competition

BCT Students’ Preconstruction Team wins First Place at ASC Region 1 Competition

We are thrilled to announce that after a semester of hard work and dedication, BCT's amazing preconstruction student team, under the skillful guidance of Prof. Fernando Romero, have achieved their goal and brought home the first place trophy at the 34th Annual Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Student Competition and Conference in Albany, NY. Our student teams were able to secure 3rd place in 2021, 2nd place in 2022, and this year, we clinched the ASC competition and brought home the 1st place trophy. As Prof. Romero said: "I am incredibly proud of each and every one of my students who made this possible, and it is a true testament to our collective effort and commitment. Your outstanding performance was noticed, and the judges were thoroughly impressed by your fantastic presentation." Additionally, the UMass Commercial team's hard work and dedication earned them a commendable 4th-place finish. The team members were: Preconstruction: Jocey Krooks, Madison Mathieu, Connor Perley, Brendan Ware, Lucas Kubaska, Luke...
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Awards Abound for NAHB Student Chapter in this Year’s Residential Construction Competition

Awards Abound for NAHB Student Chapter in this Year’s Residential Construction Competition

Our UMass NAHB student chapter just capped off the most successful year in its history. In this year's NAHB Student Competition, in which teams have to create a proposal for a housing development, the UMass team came in 8th place. This was the highest the chapter has ever placed. In the proposal, the UMass team had to create a site plan, construction schedules and estimates, a sales and marketing strategy along with a detailed financial analysis of the project. Additionally, the UMass chapter was awarded 2nd place for the Outstanding Student Chapter Award. The NAHB Outstanding Student Chapter Award recognizes NAHB student chapters at schools that go the extra mile to engage with their local HBA, the community, and student body of their schools. The strong relationship between HBRAWM and the UMass chapter was a major factor for this award. The members of this year’s team included Hunter Apteker, George Boccelli, Hayden Cantoni, David Ibrahim, Robson Stewart, and Winnie Wang (see also image...
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Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts Creates Endowment for BCT Program at UMass

Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts Creates Endowment for BCT Program at UMass

May 18, 2018 AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a $100,000 gift from the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts (AGC MA) of Wellesley, Massachusetts. The gift, also made possible through the Construction Industry Association of Western Massachusetts in Springfield, will provide support for the building and construction technology (BCT) program and its students. The BCT program is part of the department of environmental conservation in the College of Natural Sciences. AGC MA is the state’s leading commercial construction association. The gift represents the second endowment dedicated to supporting UMass Amherst’s BCT program. In addition to providing financial support for BCT’s programs, the gift will make it possible for four students a year to receive scholarships. The BCT program prepares students for careers in construction management, sustainable building systems, and building materials technology. BCT offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as continuing education programs. The program is located in the new John W. Olver Design Building, a distinctive architectural...
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UMass RCMC Team Takes 11th Place at International Builders Show

UMass RCMC Team Takes 11th Place at International Builders Show

BCT's National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) student chapter worked relentlessly through the 2017 Fall semester on their submission of the Residential Construction Management Competition (RCMC) proposal. The 26-student team broke top 11 out of 35 schools in this national competition, after presenting their project at the International Builders Show (IBS) in Orlando, FL. Each year, the NAHB holds the RCMC competition, in which 2-year and 4-year college teams are given an open-ended problem statement that serves the basis of their proposal and presentation at the International Builders Show. This year’s problem statement offered a 7-lot site in Okemos, MI of which teams had to develop and assess the feasible profitability. The team decided to develop 151 houses and declared that the project would ultimately be profitable. The proposal included sections on market analysis, sales, project management, sustainability, design, finance, and estimating. The UMass team consisted of architecture, BCT, civil, real estate, and guest posts for marketing majors, and each student brought...
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Allison Roy and Stephen DeStefano Receive USGS Leadership Awards

Allison Roy and Stephen DeStefano Receive USGS Leadership Awards

Dr. Allison Roy and Dr. Stephen DeStefano both received individual Leadership Awards from the USGS Cooperative Research Unit Program for the great work they do for the scientific community and Unit cooperators   Dr. Allison Roy, AUL- Fish, MA Unit  - Leadership   Dr. Roy has been with the Massachusetts Unit since 2012 and has made remarkable inroads into building, strengthening and expanding the Unit's relations with its cooperators. Relations among the Massachusetts Unit and its cooperators are both deeper and stronger, in part due to Dr. Roy's efforts. Dr. Roy is incredibly well respected among cooperators who consistently turn to her to lead them in many different aspects of fisheries and aquatic ecology.  Dr. Roy has built an impressive program of research, teaching mentorship, and service. In the past year and half along, she and her students have produced 6 scientific publications, presented 27 conference talks and invited seminars, and raised a million dollars in grant money. She currently has 6 active graduate projects...
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