ISI has collaborated with ASCE to support the 2025 ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition, which challenged students to integrate sustainability into a real-world engineering situation. In addition to sponsoring the recent ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, ISI facilitated a mentoring program and offered complimentary credentialing training for interested team members.   

Real-World Competition Context

The competition simulates a request for proposal (RFP) that responds to a real-world challenge. This included the application of Envision as part of the project. Teams had to use the Envision Guidance Manual and a customized competition checklist to guide the development of their proposed site design. As part of their submission, they were asked to document a subset of Envision credits. Full rules, including the problem statement and details on Envision use are available on the competition webpage.  

Expanding Understanding of Envision Application

Each competition team had the opportunity to select up to five members to access ISI’s online training, designed to prepare them to take the ENV SP exam and expand their understanding of the Envision application. Beyond the competition, the ENV SP credential is a valuable designation for civil infrastructure professionals, equipping them to apply Envision principles in real-world practice. Nearly 30 teams requested training, with more than 75 students claiming a training credit and 25 earning the ENV SP credential.  

Connecting Experienced Envision Users and Student Teams

ISI and ASCE staff worked together to connect experienced Envision users with student teams to serve as mentors, offering guidance and feedback on applying the Envision framework to their projects. This was a valuable opportunity for ENV SPs to engage with students, share real-world insights, and communicate Envision’s value to emerging professionals. Mentors were asked to attend two one-hour virtual sessions with the project team to answer questions and discuss the application of Envision to the competition project.

Nearly 60 project teams requested a mentor, including 6 teams at universities in China, 4 in India, and 48 in North America. Student teams were paired with one of 46 mentors, who donated their time to engage and share their knowledge with students interested in sustainable development.

Symposia took place in the spring for each of the 22 student conferences. Of the 22 championship teams, 15 requested a mentor.

The 2025 Sustainable Solutions Competition Champion, Georgia Institute of Technology, was mentored by James Heeren with Dewberry. Second Place finisher University of California, Berkeley, was mentored by Stacy Sinclair with Flatiron Dragados; and voted fan favorite for Best Sustainability Features, Boise State University, was mentored by Quin MacKenzie with Luuceo Consulting. Congratulations to all of the participants!

Thank You to Our Mentors

ISI and ASCE are incredibly grateful to all of the mentors who contributed to this year’s competition. If you are an ENV SP who would like to mentor a team next year, let us know.