College of Engineering & Mines

Updates for students, alumni, supporters and constituents

Tensar Announces Winner of First Annual Civil Engineering Scholarship Program

Photo of senior civil engineering student Jordan Renze
Joseph Rense, a senior studying Civil Engineering at the UND College of Engineering & Mines, wins the flexible pavement design challenge hosted by Tensar International.

 

Tensar International, a leading geosynthetic products innovator known for its unique geogrid solutions, announced two winners of it first annual Tensar Civil Engineering Scholarship competition program. The two students each won a $1000 scholarship for completing a specific construction design challenge: one challenge was in flexible pavement design and the other in mechanically stabilized earth wall design. The scholarships are one component of Tensar’s ongoing professional education efforts to share the expertise behind its geogrid technology and its 40+ year history working with the global civil engineering community.

The winner of the flexible pavement design challenge is Joseph Renze. Joseph is a senior studying Civil Engineering at the University of North Dakota. He spent ten years as a truck driver before returning to school to pursue an engineering career. He lives in Maplewood, MN with his wife and two children.

As part of this educational program, Tensar also offered free design software, course materials and other resources for engineering faculty as they educate the next generation of civil engineers in subject areas relevant to Tensar operations. Available online, these educational resources include presentations and class notes, in geosynthetics. Faculty can also download Tensar’s SpectraPave Design Software and TensarSoil Design Software packages to give students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience designing unpaved roads, flexible pavement and MSE retaining walls and slopes.

Tensar plans to do another scholarship competition in the fall of 2020.  Check out https://www.tensarcorp.com/ for more details.