- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Graduating student finds passion for construction management at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:51:58 +0000

After spending 14 years working in retail, Heather Hightower saw her move to Arkansas to be closer to her wife’s family as an opportunity to go back to school and start a new career. “I wanted to get out of retail, and my dad had gone back to school late in life. He said, ‘If you want to do it, I know you can,’” Hightower said. “He was a disabled veteran and had to start with remedial math at a community college at age 36. He was a civil engineer and pushed me toward engineering, but I was more fascinated by construction.” Hightower, a native of Florida, considered herself an “East coast girl” and wasn’t sure she would fit in in Arkansas. Now, she will graduate Dec. 16 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Master of Science in Construction Management, already employed as a full-time associate estimator at Platinum Drywall, Inc. in Little Rock. “The first day that I came to get books, I remember getting the ‘How to Read Drawing’ and ‘How to Read Welding Symbols’ books,” she said. “I questioned myself. The books were very thick and looked formidable. I was also older than everyone else in the class, but (Department Chair) Mike Tramel was very supportive and took me under his wing. The whole construction management department was very helpful.” Hightower found herself blossoming as a major in the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering. While earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Management at the University of South Florida, Hightower worked 50 hours a week. This time around, she “got to enjoy being a college student.” She became a teaching assistant and student ambassador for the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology and president of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Hightower recently won third place in the national Daniel W. Mead Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers for her ethics paper exploring whether engineering faculty should teach if they have not obtained a professional license. In April, Hightower won first place for the best professional paper and oral presentation at the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference. Professor Tramel in the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering described Hightower as an excellent writer and one of the most intelligent and dependable students in the department. “Heather is a natural leader and earns the respect of her peers with her work ethic, integrity, maturity, and courtesy,” Tramel said. “She has demonstrated excellent organization skills and has been instrumental in the success of several student activities.” Hightower found her job at Platinum Drywall, thanks to a helpful professor and some practical classroom experience. “I got that position through Professor Chris Rey,” she said. “Chris recommended me because I had won Estimating Bid Day. In lieu of a final exam, we have a bid day where you act as the general contractor and determine the overall best bid.” For her master’s thesis, Hightower explored the relationship between lack of skilled labor in the construction industry and vocational education. She found that the drop in vocational education programs is linked to the lack of skilled labor in the construction industry. “As of 2020, there will be 5.5 million workers aging out of the construction industry, and there are not enough skilled workers to fill their spots,” Hightower said. “My recommendation is that even if the government doesn’t invest in vocational education that colleges need to get together with the industry leaders and companies and make a program to invest in these students that will become the leaders of the construction industry.” After she graduates, Hightower will focus on finishing the Master of Science in Operations Management and graduate certificate in project management that she is completing through an online program at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She is also discussing the possibility of becoming an adjunct instructor for the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering and eventually plans to earn her doctorate. “One thing I learned in retail and by coming here is that it’s better to go with the flow instead of sticking to a set plan,” she said. “I’ll be successful wherever I go.”

Hightower places third in national competition for engineering students

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:38:20 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has won a national award for an ethics paper exploring whether engineering faculty should teach if they have not obtained a professional license. Heather Hightower, a graduate student in construction management and operations management, received third place in the Daniel W. Mead Prize for Students from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Daniel Mead, a former president of the society, endowed the Mead Prize for Students in 1939. “I am very honored and surprised to receive third place in the National Daniel Mead Contest,” Hightower said. “This national recognition was completely unexpected. I feel very grateful to my ASCE chapter members and the department’s faculty for all their support.” Hightower won the award for writing a paper answering the question: “Is it ethical for university engineering faculty to teach technical subject matter to engineering students without obtaining professional licensure?” “I took the position that as long as an instructor or professor demonstrated sufficient knowledge in an area, he or she should be able to teach the subject with or without a professional licensure,” she said. In April, Hightower, who is president of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, also won first place and a $200 prize for the best professional paper and oral presentation at the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference for her paper. Michael Tramel, chair of the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering, was not surprised to learn Hightower had won the award, describing her as an excellent writer and one of the most intelligent and dependable students in the department. “Heather is a natural leader and earns the respect of her peers with her work ethic, integrity, maturity, and courtesy,” Tramel said. “She has demonstrated excellent organization skills and has been instrumental in the success of several student activities.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students win scholarships to health care engineering conference

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:02:46 +0000

Four University of Arkansas at Little Rock students and one faculty member received scholarships to attend a prestigious conference on health care engineering. Each person received a $2,000 Ilse B. Almanza Scholarship to attend the conference Aug. 6-9 in Indianapolis. The Ilse B. Almanza Scholarship Fund supports education and training to develop future leaders committed to optimizing the health care physical environment. The scholarship was established to carry forward the legacy of Almanza, an advocate for lifelong education and longtime American Society for Healthcare Engineering employee. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock scholarship recipients include:

Heather Hightower, graduate student in construction management and operations management
Amanda Hall, construction management major
Blake Johnston, civil and construction engineering major
Sam Kincannon, civil and construction engineering major
Chris McKenney, adjunct instructor in the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering

During the conference, students attended technical sessions, interacted with conference members from state, regional, and national levels, met with vendors who specialize in health care, and had the opportunity to visit Speedway, Indiana, and ride in NASCAR vehicles. McKenney, who teaches two courses on health care construction, said it is an up and coming field within construction management and engineering. Those involved in the industry need specialized training and certifications to ensure knowledge of state and federal codes and regulations that control health care projects. In the upper right photo, four students won $2,000 scholarships to attend the American Society for Healthcare Engineering conference Aug. 6-9 in Indianapolis. The students, pictured from left to right, are Heather Hightower, Blake Johnston, Amanda Hall, and Sam Kincannon.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student takes first place in engineering competition

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:29:39 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student won first place for the best professional paper and oral presentation at the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference. Heather Hightower, a construction management graduate student from Benton and the president of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, also received a $200 cash prize for her 2,000-word paper and presentation on the topic: “Is it ethical for university engineering faculty to teach technical subject matter to engineering students without obtaining professional licensure?” Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State universities took second and third place in the professional paper and oral presentation competition. Students from the university’s chapter of the , coached by Faculty Adviser Nick Jovanovic, battled against 14 college teams from Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana in the society’s competition on March 31 and April 1 in Memphis. More than 20 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students competed in six events: concrete canoe, steel bridge, surveying, environmental, ethics paper, and a mystery event. “The student chapter sent 22 students to the conference, which is a new attendance record for the chapter,” Jovanovic said. “The student chapter also made history by taking a concrete canoe for the first time. This was also the first year that the student chapter was able to participate in all six events at the Deep South Conference. Thus, given that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is the newest ASCE student chapter in the conference, this is a fantastic result.” In the concrete canoe competition, students tested their engineering skills by creating a canoe out of concrete materials that floats in water. In Memphis, the students took their canoes to the water to take part in a racing competition.

Heather Hightower

Concrete canoe team members include Team Captain Blake Johnston, Assistant Captain Sam Kincannon, Manville Allen, Amanda Hall, Harrison Hayworth, Hunter Hobby, Palmer Lane, Magen Schlesier, Logan Snapp, and Jorge Vasquez. Steel Bridge Team members include Team Captain Casey Baker, Assistant Captain Jonathan Henderson, Nicole Compton, David Greenwood, Dee Osieczko, and Jonny Picking. Surveying Team members included Team Captain William Beggs, Natasha Carlson, and Jose Garcia. Kassandra Castrillo competed in the environmental competition while Vianca Martin was the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock competition coordinator during the 2016-17 academic year. Sponsors that provided financial and material support for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock American Society of Civil Engineers include: ABC Block, AFCO Steel, American Institute of Steel Constructors, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, Arkansas Chapter of American Concrete Institute, Arkansas Section of American Society of Civil Engineers, BASF, Bentley Software, C&F Steel Erectors, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering, and Ryerson Steel. In the upper right photo, University of Arkansas at Little Rock students display a concrete canoe built for the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference. Team members (L-R) include Logan Snapp, Manville Allen, Harrison Hayworth, and Hunter Hobby. Photo by Joe Kline Jr./��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Graduating student finds passion for construction management at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Hightower places third in national competition for engineering students

����Vlog��ý Little Rock students win scholarships to health care engineering conference

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student takes first place in engineering competition

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Graduating student finds passion for construction management at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students win scholarships to health care engineering conference

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student takes first place in engineering competition