“Thanks to the vision of our faculty, the persistence of department leadership and the generosity of our alumni and donors, we now have a space designed for exactly what the world needs from engineers: collaboration,” Norris said at the event. “Here, students will tackle projects side-by-side, lead organizations, mentor one another and prepare for careers in a workforce that depends on teamwork and innovation. Just as important, they will build friendships, strengthen resilience and create memories that last a lifetime.”

For junior Alex Reif, a junior honors civil engineering major, the new space also represents a potential turning point for student organizations. Reif is the president of UD’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and expects the group will have about 60 members this year.

“It’s been pretty difficult to find spaces for a lot of students,” Reif said. “The biggest room we could get fits 40 people, so we’re crammed in. We’ll definitely be able to make use of this new space.”

Civil engineering alumnus Guy Marcozzi remembers the struggle of finding places to work with other students. He and his friends would squeeze into spaces in hallways or try to find an empty classroom and hope they wouldn’t be kicked out.

So when Marcozzi, a member of the UD Board of Trustees and the College of Engineering Advisory Council, was asked if he would be interested in supporting the project, he jumped at the chance.

“It just felt like the right thing to do,” Marcozzi said. “My education helped me get to a point where I have some discretionary income and allows me to give back to the things that helped me and hopefully others in similar ways. In this case, they were on the precipice of something. It’s a cool space. You make friends by working with your classmates in these spaces. The relationships with your classmates established here tend to resurface later and enrich your life and career.”

The CCEE Collaboration Space will also be invaluable for students’ future careers—the more experience they have working together, the more prepared they’ll be to enter a collaborative, innovative workforce.

That’s what drew in heavy civil contractor Allan Myers, Inc. The company already had a strong partnership with UD, sponsoring the Construction Engineers of America club, offering site tours, having employees speak to classes and more.

UD students who have interned at Allan Myers have been exceptional, said Andrew Smith, general manager, asphalt. Investing in opportunities to further help those students was a win-win.

“The new space brings them together,” Smith said. “It gives the students a place to interact like they would be in an office setting with the right technology, with the right tools. The benefits that we've seen, the students that we’ve hired are exactly the talent pool that we need to continue to grow our organization.”

It’s an especially meaningful partnership for Smith, a 2011 alumnus of UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and a member of the CCEE Advisory Council. Having student collaboration space near faculty offices was one of the most impactful parts of his time at UD.

From tutoring sessions to meetings to casual get-togethers and everything in between, the civil, construction, and environmental engineering students will have a unique opportunity to collaborate, hone their skills and build relationships for generations to come.

“It’s nice to have a space that’s specifically designed for group projects, especially a space where everybody knows where it is,” Reif said. “I’m looking forward to a more collaborative environment and a room that lends itself to communication and problem solving in a way that really isn’t too common around the campus.”

Support the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering

Gifts to the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) Discretionary Fund provide critical, flexible resources that empower the department to seize emerging opportunities, enhance student experiences and support faculty innovation. From funding student travel and hands-on learning to launching new initiatives, your support helps drive excellence in every corner of the department. Click here to make a gift to the fund.

The department welcomes more opportunities to engage with industry partners. For more information, contact Heather Barron, senior director of development, at hbarron@udel.edu.