Engineering students win MCAA national championship

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter for Mechanical/Electrical Specialty Contracting earned first place in a national student competition hosted by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America.

The competition required each team to recommend a plan and calculate the cost of renovating the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The team had to present its recommendations to a panel of judges.

The group received a bid to compete at the national championships in Maui, Hawaii, after placing in the final four in a December competition. The other final four teams were Purdue University, California Polytechnic State University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Members of the team are Anne Arant, Brad Claussen, Ben Johnson and John Tinius of Lincoln, Mark Hofschulte of Omaha, Bill Jansen of Fordyce, Brandon Limoge of Naples, Fla., and Pat Rainbolt of Papillion.

Blake Wentz, a 2004 UNL graduate, coached the Milwaukee team to a second-place finish, and former UNL construction management professor Mostafa Khattab received the MCAA Educator of the Year Award.

"All in all, it was quite a special moment on many levels," said Tim Wentz, chair of construction management.

CONTACT: Tim Wentz, Assoc. Professor & Chair, Construction Management, (402) 472-3737; or
Ashley Washburn, Communications Specialist, Engineering, (402) 472-0451