The six foot long pipe installed during this process will convey 50 million gallons per day of wastewater to a safe discharge location. As part of the preparation for the trip, students completed their OSHA 10 certification.

The tour was arranged by one of Quinnipiac's civil engineering advisory board members, Brian Lakin, who works for McMillen Jacobs Associates, the engineering firm working on the project. Department Chair John Greenleaf and Student Chapter President Mike Neumann ‘22, arranged other aspects of the trip and secured funding through a generous donation by the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers.

Students saw many aspects of engineering projects that are discussed in the classroom as well as gained exposure to the production of the project, broadening their perspectives beyond just the designs taught in the classroom. As part of the preparation for the trip, students completed their OSHA 10 certification.

OSHA 10 is a professional certification involving safety as specified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is a 10-hour certification course for people working in the engineering and construction disciplines. It is something that students can put on their resumes for internships and jobs to set themselves apart from other prospective candidates.

The OSHA certification course, transportation, tour and personal protective equipment were provided free of charge through funding by the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers.

Greenleaf believes that hands-on experiential learning is very important for students, he explained.

“Seeing how these large infrastructure projects come together has to be something students experience hands-on. The enormity and scope of these projects can often only be understood when they are seen in person," said Greenleaf. "Also, talking with the professionals who work on these projects offers valuable insights into both elements of the projects and students future careers. Many of the professionals discussed how they went to engineering school and the paths that took them into their respective careers.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers is the oldest national engineering society in the U.S. It has 143,000 members in 177 countries and is made up of smaller regional professional chapters like the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers and student chapters like the Quinnipiac University ASCE student chapter. Student membership is free for institutions that have a student chapter and can be joined online.

The majority of civil engineering students are part of the student chapter, and around 20 are also members of the national organization along with all of the civil engineering faculty. The civil engineering department tries to do several trips a year and usually one big trip per semester.

“These trips help connect and build relationships with the companies and professionals in the working world around us,” said Greenleaf. “All the students were given contact information for several of the big companies working on the project and students were encouraged to reach out regarding jobs and internships.”