The Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) is ASCE’s annual three-day competition that allows students to put their civil or environmental engineering skills to the test. Throughout the course of the conference, students are able to compete in a variety of both technical and non-technical events. While each conference is unique, there are several events that may be expected as per tradition and national standards. The events include, but are not limited to: concrete canoe, steel bridge, environmental design, geotechnical design, surveying, technical paper, concrete bowling, scavenger hunts, and several sports tournaments. Once all competitions have been held, the conference concludes with an awards banquet on the last night.
Approximately 1,500 Civil and Environmental Engineering students compete each year, representing 18 universities in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. In previous years, the PSWC has enabled students to travel and connect with other engineers at several universities, including the University of Southern California, University of Arizona, and the Cal. State University, Long Beach.
For 2018, Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University are co-hosting the conference. It will be held at Arizona State University’s campus. It is projected that around 2,000 students will attend along with judges, parents, and alumni.