MSOE Team Wins MCAA’s 2012-2013 Student Chapter Competition

April 1, 2013
The MCAA student chapter at Milwaukee School of Engineering received top honors for their efforts in the Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s (MCAA) 2012-2013 Student Chapter Competition.

ROCKVILLE, MD. — The MCAA student chapter at Milwaukee School of Engineering received top honors for their efforts in the Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s (MCAA) 2012-2013 Student Chapter Competition. The winners were announced during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast at the association’s annual convention in San Antonio, Texas. MCAA President Mac Lynch and Career Development Committee Chairman Troy Aichele presented the award and a check for $5,000 to the winning team.

Also during the Awards of Excellence Breakfast, Prof. Blake Wentz of the Milwaukee School of Engineering received the MCAA 2012 Educator of the Year Award for the second year in a row. President Lynch and Chairman Aichele presented the award.

The committee chose Wentz for his mentoring ability, industry knowledge and involvement, and active participation in Student Chapter Program activities. He is particularly proactive in helping students find internship and full-time positions with mechanical contractors.

Perhaps the best proof of Wentz’s outstanding abilities is the success of the MCAA Student Chapter at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, which won the Student Chapter Competition previously in 2010.

The practical project management information he conveys in the classroom has helped the students excel in the competition.

The runner-up student team, from the University of Washington, received a second place trophy and a check for $2,500. The remaining teams, from Southern Polytechnic State University and Northeastern University, each received a check for $1,000.

During the competition, 25 teams submitted proposals for this year’s project — a 50,000-sq.ft. building that houses the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Exploration Center. The facility is located near Cape Canaveral, Fla., and bidders were required to recommend design elements that meet or exceed LEED Platinum criteria. The project also required that the bids include a post-construction service component.

President Lynch also recognized six teams that just missed the finals, saying that they received official Certificates of Merit. These teams are from the Wentworth Institute of Technology, Colorado State University, California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, McMaster University, Illinois State University, and Central Washington University.

The 2012-2013 Student Chapter Competition was MCAA’s 12th such annual competition.

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