The leader of the nation’s oldest engineering society met with students and administrators from the University of Georgia College of Engineering, one of the nation’s newest civil engineering programs, during a visit to Athens Aug. 28.

Mark Woodson, president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), also toured the college’s STRENGTH Laboratory (Structural Engineering Testing Hub) and spoke at a meeting of the ASCE’s Northeast Georgia Branch during his time on campus and in the city.

You can view a photo gallery of Woodson’s visit here.

“Having Mr. Woodson visit the University of Georgia and talk to our students about the their future profession, the critical issues they will be tasked with solving, and the importance of life-long learning is such an amazing opportunity,” said Stephan Durham, an associate professor and coordinator of the UGA College of Engineering’s civil engineering program. “With our civil engineering program being one of the newest in the nation, this will be our opportunity to showcase the quality of our students and the quality of education they are receiving at a national level.”

Following a breakfast meeting at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education with Donald Leo, dean of the College of Engineering, and other top college and university administrators, Woodson held a roundtable discussion with members of the college’s ASCE student chapter. He then toured the STRENGTH Laboratory on Whitehall Road, where faculty and students perform state-of-the-art research and testing services related to concrete, steel, timber and advanced materials.

ASCE represents more than 146,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 174 countries. The organization’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, issued every four years, provides an in-depth assessment of the condition and performance of the nation’s infrastructure, including roads, dams, schools and transit systems.