A WSU research team has received a U.S. Department of Commerce grant to train civil engineering students in emerging technologies as well as in social intelligence to better meet industry needs in Washington.
The two-year, $500,000 grant, funded by the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Economic Development Administration through the 2022 Chips and Science Act, aims to bridge the gap between industry-desired intelligence and traditional technical skills in civil engineering.
The project will provide work-based learning and training in state-of-the art technologies in areas such as building information modeling, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and 3D printing to better meet high demand for workers in areas such as civil, structural, transportation, and construction engineering.
The program will initially accept 15 students. The students will take a 1-credit course, in which they will get training in technical, technological, and social intelligence. After taking the course, they will do an internship with specific, weekly mentoring.
Students have varying degrees of soft skills when they enter the workplace for the first time, says Hongtao Dang, assistant professor in the School of Design and Construction who is leading the project. Many of them might not know how to communicate with professional colleagues, including how to properly write a professional email, dress professionally, set agendas, or run a meeting.
“We want to train our students so that we can improve their social intelligence and train them to become leaders of the future,” he said. [Read more…]