ASCE Student Chapter Receives More National Awards

The University of Wyoming’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter has had quite a start to 2018, as the group received three distinguished honors for its exemplary work.

In March, the chapter received the 2018 Region 7 Distinguished Chapter Award, was named a finalist for the 2018 Robert Ridgway Student Chapter Award for Most Outstanding ASCE Student Chapter and earned a Letter of Recognition for Community Service.

The distinguished chapter honor is given annually to the most outstanding student organization in the region. Region 7 represents ASCE members from Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and the St. Louis and Kansas City areas of Missouri. The chapter was recommended for this award by the Committee on Student Members based on activities recorded in the Student Chapter’s 2017 Annual Report.

“On behalf of the ASCE Committee on student members, congratulations to the student chapter officers and members and to the practitioner advisors,” writes Leslie Payne, the director of ASCE Student and Younger Member Programs, in the award letter. “The society recognizes and sincerely appreciates your personal contribution, enthusiasm, and hard work, which result in outstanding student organization programs such as yours.”

Associate Academic Professional Lecturer Ryan Kobbe has served as UW ASCE’s faculty advisor since 2012.

“None of the recent awards come as a huge surprise to me,” Kobbe says. “The ASCE students I work with commit hundreds of hours to chapter activities, which include daily operations, preparing for our annual regional conference in early April, hosting bi-weekly professional speakers, and a host of community service and K-12 outreach projects. Frankly, we just outwork the competition, which is remarkable given our relatively small size and our limited annual budget. I am beyond proud of these kids. They are the hardest working and most dedicated group of students I could ask for.”

UW’s ASCE chapter also was named the Region 7 Distinguished Chapter and Ridgway finalist in 2016 and 2017. It was given the Richard J. Scranton Outstanding Community Service Award winner in 2016, earned a Letter of Recognition for Community Service in 2015, and given a Certificate of Commendation (awarded to the top 5 percent of national chapters) in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Kobbe was named an ASCE Outstanding Faculty Member in 2009 and 2010 and received the national ASCE Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award in 2015.

Kobbe Takes Home UW Teaching Honor
In addition to the recognition for his ASCE student chapter, Kobbe recently was honored by UW.

Last week, UW Vice Provost Tami Benham-Deal presented Kobbe with the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award. The honor was established in 1977 by Casper businessman John P. "Jack" Ellbogen to "foster, encourage, and reward excellence in classroom teaching at UW."

In the nomination letters, one student said Kobbe was very demanding, but made sure students walked away with a greater understanding of engineering. Words such as “passion” and “commitment” were common in the nominations.

Kobbe joins recent CEAS honorees including Paul Dellenback (2017), Cam Wright (2012) and Steve Barrett (2004).