By Shilyn Carheel

The Poke Press

A precast, prestressed concrete beam landed a team of McNeese students in first place at a regional competition earlier this month. 

The McNeese State University chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers earned first place in the PCI Mini Beam Competition at the 2026 ASCE Gulf Coast Symposium in Alabama March 12–14. 

“This recognition is a significant honor for our ASCE student chapter and reflects the students’ hard work, collaboration, and persistence,” said Farid Hosseinpour, an assistant professor of civil engineering and faculty advisor for the ASCE chapter. “The most rewarding part has been seeing the students apply their knowledge, overcome challenges, and ultimately succeed.” 

Hosseinpoursaid the achievement was the result of student teamwork led by Maniratna Subedi, Arjun Gautam, and Zachery Benoit, with support from the rest of the chapter. 

Founded in 1982, the McNeese ASCE chapter has a goal to provide opportunities for leadership development while students participate in engineering projects and competitions designed to develop technical and professional skills. 

Hosseinpour also gave credit to the support of the PCI Foundation, PCI Gulf South, and Alfred Miller Companies and Dunham Price Group.