Pair of young ITD intern engineers finish first, second in regional competition

A pair of young engineers with ITD experience recently placed at the top of a weekend-long engineering competition involving 19 regional colleges and universities.

Lauren Nuxoll (currently a District 3 intern) finished in first place as leader of a team from Boise State University, while Kyle Staab (a summer intern at District 2) co-led a second-place squad from the University of Idaho in the ASCE Pacific Northwest Conference.

The event was held April 24-26 at Portland State University, with tasks and skills tested such as Environmental, Surveying, Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and presentation of a technical paper. Each team of four to five people had to survey a polygon to solve for area and perimeter.

Staab will return to ITD for another summer of surveying May 19. Nuxoll graduates in May from BSU and has accepted an offer as an engineer in training for Kittleson & Associates in Boise.

Crystal Grasmick, District 2's EIT, was a crew chief to both Nuxoll and Staab this past summer.

"I couldn't be prouder of these two and am really honored to have had the opportunity to teach them," Grasmick said. "Over the course of a few months, I watched them go from novices to true experts in our given tasks."

"I know we would have loved to have Lauren stay with ITD," she added. "I believe Kyle graduates in December, and hopefully he will look to ITD as a first choice."

"District 2 is unique in affording students the opportunity to grow their skills in surveying and allowing EITs to learn to mentor and manage a group of people for a summer," she said.

She could easily have been speaking for Nuxoll and Staab when Grasmick added, "I really appreciate all the opportunities this program has opened up for me, and I am excited to see what the future holds."

Pictured above left is Kyle Staab and to the right is Lauren Nuxoll.

Published 5-2-14