A team of five Texas A&M University-Kingsville students received awards and placed second at the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI) Student Design-Build Competition.
The Institute of Architectural Engineering Heritage team included Jacquelyne Garcia Torres, Architectural Engineering sophomore; John Ruiz, Mechanical Engineering junior; Maria Garcia Torres, Architectural Engineering senior, Richard J. Rowland IV, Architectural Engineering senior and the team captain; Kaley N. Dodd, May 2020 graduate of Architectural Engineering.
The team won two of the five categories, Best Build and Best Poster.
The Institute of Architectural Engineering Heritage sponsored the team and Dr. Breanna Bailey, Dr. Francisco Aguiniga and James Glusing served as faculty mentors. Patrick Sparks of Sparks engineering (San Antonio), was the industry professional mentor.
James Glusing, associate professor, said the traveling conference was set to be in Canada this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held virtually.
“I have always been proud of our students,” Glusing said. “The most rewarding to me is, our students have proven to themselves, a team from a small South Texas University, can compete against teams from nationally recognized and Ivy League programs. A bright future lies ahead for any student with focus and desire.”
