Construction educators flocking to Auburn

When she flies in from Ireland next week, Sonya Meekel, a faculty member at Technological University Dublin, will start her visit to Auburn University with a tour of campus.

“I am excited to see Jordan-Hare Stadium,” Meekel said. “This is something really ‘U.S.A.’ to us, since we don’t have stadiums like this in Ireland. And I can’t wait to see Auburn Arena, because my kids grew up playing basketball and I have a love for the game.”

But while a campus tour is fun, Meekel and more than 250 fellow building science educators are traveling to Auburn to attend the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) conference, hosted by the McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI). From April 3-5, they will gather at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center to share research, discuss best practices in teaching and tour Auburn’s exceptional building science facilities.

ASC is a professional organization connecting and supporting construction management faculty and students from around the world. Members of ASC exchange knowledge on curricula, teaching, research and service, and students have opportunities to travel to other schools for competitions. Auburn students regularly attend at least a half-dozen of these competitions each year, where they create project proposals under strict deadlines that mimic industry work.

Meekel, who coaches teams at Technical University Dublin, can confirm they are tough opponents.

“Auburn has a very strong reputation when it comes to student competitions,” she said. “They’re very professional and well-prepared. They are one to watch.”

Auburn is one of seven founding members of ASC, which was formed in 1965, and has a strong record of leadership in the organization. Four BSCI faculty members have served as president, including Associate Dean and Professor Ben Farrow, who led the organization through the challenges of COVID-19. Currently, two Auburn faculty members edit the conference’s proceedings, another is a regional associate director and Richard Burt, BSCI’s school head, chairs ASC’s International Development Committee.

Burt is proud of the fact that Auburn is hosting the conference for the fourth time and is looking forward to introducing faculty from other institutions to BSCI’s top-notch facilities, including the Robins & Morton Construction Field Lab.

“Every school that hosts this conference has an opportunity to make a major impression on construction educators,” Burt said. “We believe we have the best program in the world, and we just can’t wait to show our colleagues around.”