There's more to life than just homework! Along with the four hundred billion other student groups you can get involved in at Berkeley, there are a few organizations just for CEEs. There are lots of benefits to getting involved in these activities, such as:  
 

• You get to make lots of friends that are also CEEs
• You have lots of fun
• You learn job skills that you don't learn in class
• You have the opportunity to meet with practicing engineers
• You get to do all sorts of neat-o things, like race boats made out of concrete, build towers out of straws, and sing Monty Python songs in front of all your friends and professors

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)  

ASCE is an organization for civil engineers all over the world. Berkeley has one of the most active and productive student chapters in the nation. In fact, if you talk to some of the members, it sounds like the universe revolves around their office on the third floor of Davis Hall! Well, not really. But ASCE is a very strong organization and one that every aspiring civil engineer should join. 

Activities 

ASCE has numerous activities throughout the year. Just some of them are as follows. If you are interested in any of these activities, please come by the ASCE office. The staff there will be glad to help you. 

General Meetings 

ASCE hold general meetings about once a month. Notices are posted throughout Davis Hall as each meeting nears. In addition to providing free food and conducting a little business, ASCE invites a guest speaker to each meeting. The topics are always very exciting, usually dealing with current CEE projects occurring around the Bay Area. Some of the recent topics include: The Richmond/San Rafael Bridge Seismic Retrofit, The Central Valley's Air Quality Control Program, the San Francisco International Airport Improvement Project, and other interesting projects. 

Concrete Canoe 

Yes, it's a canoe made of concrete. And, yes, it really does float. You don't have to take my word for it. Just stop by the ASCE office and check out all the photos of the canoes from years past. Or join the canoe team and do your part to see that the next canoe is a winner. 

The Concrete Canoe competition started at Berkeley back in the 70’s, when a bunch of CEs with nothing better to do decided to make a boat out of concrete. The competition has grown steadily since then. The 10th Annual National Concrete Canoe Races were held in June of 1997. Cal placed third in the competition, well enough to retain our crown as the winningest school in the competition's history. In addition to getting hands-on experience with high tech concrete (the stuff is actually lighter than water!), being a member of the concrete canoe team offers many other advantages. 

The Canoe team is always looking for new members. You don't have to have a lot of free time, and you don't have to know anything about concrete to be a team member. 

Steel and Timber Bridges 

The Berkeley ASCE chapter also competes in two other civil engineering competitions: Steel Bridge and Timber Bridge. In each competition, students design and build a miniature bridge made out of the respective material. Both of these activities will let you get practical experience designing and building with two common materials used in civil engineering. And, like the Concrete Canoe, you don't need to know anything about steel or timber to be a valuable team member. 

Field Trips 

Several times a semester, ASCE sponsors field trips to CEE related sites. Some of the places visited recently include the Golden Gate Bridge, a concrete wet batch plant, Los Vaqueros Dam, the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Caldecott Tunnel, BART Central Control, Oakland and San Francisco City Halls, and the Richmond Field Station. These trips are generally free and carpools are arranged for transportation. In addition to visiting CEE places of interest, ASCE often takes biking, hiking, and camping trips just for the fun of it. 

EIT Review Sessions 

If you plan on practicing CEE in the real world, you will most likely have to take the Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certification test at some time. Most students take it while they are still in school. To help Cal students succeed on the exam, ASCE sponsors EIT review sessions. Six sessions are normally held, each one dealing with one of the sections on the exam. ASCE cons professors or GSIs that know a lot about the subjects into lecturing on the material for one to two hours. Question and answer sessions usually follow, along with a problem solving session. The service is free to all students. If you're planning on taking the EIT, these sessions are a must. 

Civil and Environmental Engineering Career Night 

See the same section under Chapter VIII 

Membership 

There is only one requirement for membership in ASCE: you must be an engineering student. You don't even have to be civil, you can be as savage as you want (sorry, the temptation to use that pun was overwhelming). To become a member, go to the ASCE office at 335 Davis and ask for a membership form. There two types of membership, local and national. Currently, local membership costs $15 per year or $8 per semester, while national membership costs $20 per year. Inquire at the ASCE office for the different benefits that you get with each type of membership. 

Water Environment Federation (WEF) 

The student chapter of WEF at Cal is somewhat new. Started in 1996 by a group of senior environmental engineering students, the club has already achieved status as one of the most active WEF student chapters in the nation. If you're interested in any aspect of the water environment, and especially if you're into environmental engineering, this club is a must. You will have the opportunity to meet students with similar interests as your own, as well as professionals in your career field. 

Membership 

The only requirement for membership in the Berkeley WEF chapter is that you're a student at Berkeley. There's no cost to join the student chapter, but there is a $35 fee if you want to become a member of the national organization. Obtain information in 602 Davis or speak to the faculty advisor, Prof. Jenkins. 
 

Chi Epsilon (XE) 

XE is the honor society for civil engineering students. The Berkeley chapter was founded in 1925, becoming the seventh chapter in the nation and the first in California (you know what they say, "it happens first at the University of California!"). The purpose is similar to just about all other honor societies: to increase the honor of the CEE profession. 

Activities 

Because XE is a secret honor society, we are forbidden to discuss any of their activities. Just kidding. XE has many activities throughout they year. They include such things as food drives, tutor services, beach clean-ups, ice cream socials, Club (as in dance club) Nights, meetings with guest speakers, and many other exciting events. 

Membership 

Since it is an honor society, membership in XE is restricted. Only civil engineering students that have completed at least 60 units and are in the top third of their class are eligible for membership. A list of eligible students is usually available by the fifth week of each semester. Those qualifying are typically notified by snail mail (and sometimes e-mail) of their eligibility. Flyers are also posted throughout Davis Hall with a list. If you believe that you should be eligible for membership but have not been notified, speak to an XE officer in 335 Davis sometime before the fifth week of the semester. 

Once invited, you must fulfill several requirements for membership. These change from semester to semester; if you are invited to join these requirements will be fully explained to you. A fee is also required, usually around $70 for lifetime membership. Most of this money goes to the national XE organization while the remainder is used to pay your cost for the spring banquet. 
 

Other Student Organizations 

In addition to the student organizations list above that are specially for civil and environmental engineers, there are many other engineering groups that you can become involved in. The following is a list of some of the other engineering student groups at Cal. 
 

• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)  - 105 Naval Architecture 
(By the way, guys are welcomed to join too) 

• Engineer's Joint Council (EJC) - 220 Bechtel 

Tau Beta Pi - TBP  (Engineering Honor Society) - 220 Bechtel