By Melissa Alonso | July 30, 2025 - Atlanta, GA

This summer, the School of Building Construction welcomed 26 students from around the globe—including Kazakhstan, China, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and across the U.S.—for an immersive and reimagined summer program. “We reduced all lectures to a duration of about 10 minutes each,” said instructor and Ph.D. student Steven Kangisser, “replacing them with 13 hands-on activities.” The result? Energized students, engaged learning, and a dynamic experience that brought construction concepts to life.

Participants explored six active construction sites, including the Curran Street dorms, the Kendeda Building, the Student Athletic Center at Bobby Dodd, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Georgia Masonry Supply production facility. “This presented a wide range of construction examples,” Kangisser noted, giving students exposure to both institutional and industry-scale projects.

Students collaborated in six teams to complete every challenge and documented their progress on journey boards, which are now proudly displayed in the BC flex space. “They seemed very proud when presenting these to their parents,” said Kangisser.

The program also continued its popular industry-student mixer, connecting participants with professionals in the field. “The students remained highly enthused and very appreciative to the end,” he shared—many already hopeful about attending Georgia Tech in the future.