{"id":243842,"date":"2026-04-15T07:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=243842"},"modified":"2026-04-23T16:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T20:19:02","slug":"local-donation-powers-uconn-construction-engineering-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/04\/local-donation-powers-uconn-construction-engineering-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Donation Powers UConn Construction Engineering Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Construction engineering students will be able to round out their theoretical\u00a0education with hands-on heavy equipment experience, courtesy of a large donation by a local equipment retailer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyler Equipment Corporation will\u00a0gift the UConn\u00a0College of Engineering with\u00a0a Volvo Electric L20 Wheel Loader for UConn\u2019s construction engineering\u00a0and\u00a0management\u00a0(CEM)\u00a0program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
The 2025 Volvo Electric L20 machine being donated to UConn Engineering. \u00a9 Copyright AB Volvo 2026<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe are incredibly\u00a0grateful to Tyler Equipment for this impactful donation,\u201d said School of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u00a0director Kay Wille. \u201cWe want our students to be educated on the\u00a0latest industry trends and technologies. Through generous partners, we can ensure our students are ready to\u00a0make positive contributions to the engineering and construction\u00a0fields.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The wheel loader will be used in an operator\u2019s course\u00a0offered to UConn\u2019s\u00a0CEM\u00a0minor students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs the construction industry continues to evolve toward more sustainable and technologically advanced solutions, it\u2019s critical that students gain hands-on experience with the equipment shaping the future of the field,\u201d says Tyler Equipment marketing coordinator Courtney Rush. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to partner with UConn to help prepare the next wave of engineers and construction professionals.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecticut\u2019s Local 478 Operator\u2019s Union will aid in course\u00a0construction, and\u00a0provide a simulator. Students will become\u00a0familiarized\u00a0with machine operations as well as\u00a0innovations in construction equipment, including electronic equipment and on-board intelligent systems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs the construction industry continues to evolve with new technologies\u2014such as automation, digital controls, and data-driven job site management\u2014our training programs ensure that members stay ahead of the curve,\u201d says Local 478 Director of Training and Fund Administrator Gregg Strede. \u201cBy combining proven instructional methods with\u00a0innovative simulation tools, we prepare a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of modern construction.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are approximately 40 students in the\u00a0CEM\u00a0program\u00a0currently,\u00a0and\u00a0enrollment\u00a0is\u00a0continuously\u00a0growing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Kay, through this donation, students will better understand how real machinery operators might work on construction sites. Students will learn about vehicle safety, and after being trained on the simulator, will learn how to drive and steer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The electric vehicle is a quiet, efficient, and sustainable option\u00a0for construction sites.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, students can select the CEM minor.\u00a0Engineering\u00a0leadership\u00a0are\u00a0hopeful\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0bachelor\u00a0of science\u00a0degree in construction engineering, management and intelligent\u00a0systems\u00a0(CEMI)\u00a0will be approved and instated in the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 Apprenticeship Training and Skill Improvement Program provides simulators for heavy equipment training. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The major\u00a0will emphasize\u00a0fundamentals in construction engineering and construction management, combined with modern tools in data capturing, data analytics,\u00a0and\u00a0artificial intelligence.\u00a0Advisory input and internships will keep coursework aligned with active practices in the state and national\u00a0construction sector.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNationwide, the industry must attract hundreds of thousands of additional workers in the\u00a0next few years to meet\u00a0increasing construction demand,\u201d Wille said. \u201cAs a school, we can scale collaboration with contractors\u00a0and\u00a0owners; align coursework with real project requirements; and expand\u00a0internships and senior design projects that integrate\u00a0design, sustainability, and delivery constraints.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The degree will be designed to produce practice-ready graduates by emphasizing construction means and methods;\u00a0project and safety management;\u00a0structural analysis and design for construction, building,\u00a0and infrastructure systems; as well as horizontal and vertical construction.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All are welcome to learn more about the donation and the CEM program in an upcoming event.\u00a0UConn Engineering,\u00a0Tyler Equipment, Volvo\u00a0Construction Equipment, Local 478\u00a0will gather on April 23 at 11 a.m. in front of the Castleman Building to hand over the keys.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the construction industry continues to evolve toward more sustainable and technologically advanced solutions, it\u2019s critical that students gain hands-on experience with the equipment shaping the future of the field<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":243848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1866,2472,2649,2235,2225,2458],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2445],"class_list":["post-243842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engr","category-gifts-donors","category-blue-pride","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-storrs","category-undergraduates"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-13 01:54:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243842"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244079,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243842\/revisions\/244079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/243848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243842"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=243842"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=243842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}