After more than 3 years in the pandemic, the annual National Civil Engineering Summit (NCES) reverts to face-to-face setup in full force as it makes its most-awaited comeback this September 27-30 at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Being the largest student-held civil engineering summit in the country, this week-long event organized by the UP Association of Civil Engineering Students (UP ACES) aims to gather the civil engineering community—students, professionals, and anyone else with the passion for civil engineering—to celebrate its feats and provide its members with skills and ethics for nation-building.
This year, NCES 2023 presents its big-time events with the theme of “Foundations Reinforced: Diversifying the Horizons of Engineering”. Through various talks, exhibitions, and competitions, NCES 2023 highlights the role of civil engineering in strengthening relationships between different sectors of society while continuously pushing beyond its boundaries.
The summit starts off with Jumpstart, the official opening ceremony of NCES. It includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a summit blessing, and a pakain open to the faculty and staff of the UP Institute of Civil Engineering (UP ICE). This event aims to honor the efforts and work of the people behind UP ICE.
Open throughout the entirety of NCES, the Civil Engineering Exhibit features interactive and artistic displays that highlight accomplishments and innovations in the different fields of civil engineering. It aims to foster greater appreciation towards the field through displays that delve into civil engineering continuously widening its horizons to achieve a progressive society and its connections between people, structures, and the natural environment. The exhibit also showcases UP ICE and the achievements of UP ACES.
The first contest of the summit is the Bridge Building Competition (BBC), which is open to high school students nationwide. With the objective of inspiring young minds to pursue civil engineering-related paths, participants’ engineering skills and knowledge are tested as they collaborate to construct the strongest, most cost-effective, and aesthetically pleasing truss bridges through the use of barbeque sticks while being under time pressure. Teams have the chance of winning from a prize pool of PHP 30,000 worth of cash prizes.
NCES 2023 also provides opportunities for civil engineering job-seekers to connect with different companies through the Civil Engineering Career Fair. The event consists of a physical job fair, company talks, career talks, and an online video series that would widen participants’ knowledge of possible civil engineering-related professions and help them prepare for their future as nation-builders.
The Civil Engineering Lab Tour is a 2-hour tour for high school and college students around UP ICE grounds showcasing the laboratories and equipment used in different civil engineering fields. The tour contains a total of 6 stations, one for each field (Construction, Structural, Geomechanics & Water, Environment & Transportation, Geodetic) and one for games. The high school lab tour includes introduCE, a short talk with a civil engineer so as to provide an introduction to civil engineering, and insights from the profession as well. On the other hand, the college lab tour will include a career talk.
One of the most-awaited events of the summit is the National Civil Engineering Symposium. With over 4,000 participants each year, it remains one of the largest gatherings of civil engineering students, professionals, and enthusiasts in the country. This one-day event includes talks from credible speakers who work in the engineering industry so as to discuss the relevance of different aspects of civil engineering and its contributions to society. Aside from being able to hold discussions and spread knowledge, the essence of the symposium is to inspire more people to take action through civil engineering with the betterment of the Philippines and the Filipino people at its heart.
The most highly-anticipated and largest civil engineering quiz bee in the Philippines makes its comeback this year as the brightest undergraduate civil engineering students nationwide will compete in the National Civil Engineering Quiz. On the last day of the summit, teams of 2 will go through 4 stages of questions all related to civil engineering. Its goal is to promote scholastic excellence among students and enhance computational and critical-thinking skills. Additionally, all teams will receive vouchers from Review Innovations, the main partner of NCES 2023, and will have the chance to win from a prize pool of PHP 70,000 worth of cash prizes.
As much as NCES celebrates the growth and innovation of engineering up to today, it is also an avenue for pushing the limits of civil engineering and what good it can be. Having “civil” in the name, it is with great hope that through this summit, it is realized that civil engineering is and will always be in service to the people. So join us this September as we reinforce our foundations, diversify our horizons, and pave the way toward endless possibilities.
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Written by: Akki Tiggangay