This week, during National Engineers Week, both current and future engineers — such as CEE undergraduate student Peter Yu — are celebrated. Yu was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as a 2023 Collegiate New Face of Civil Engineering.

Peter Yu

“As a third-year student, I was humbled and honored that my work could rise to the level of being recognized as a New Face,” says Yu. “Historically, many honorees have been fourth or fifth-year students.”

Each year, the award honors 10 undergraduate civil engineering students from around the world who “personify the promise of the profession.” Students are selected based on a variety of factors including academic excellence, community service, leadership, communication skills, research, mentoring and industry involvement.

During his undergraduate career, Yu has been active in a number of student clubs and activities. After joining the ASCE UW Student chapter in 2020 and serving as Secretary, he became President of the student organization in March 2022. For the past three years, Yu has also been involved in the Smart Transportation Applications & Research Laboratory (STAR Lab) where he conducts a variety of transportation research to enhance safety and mobility for all roadway users. Projects include the development and testing of new geometric designs, traffic control strategies, and intelligent transportation systems.

“I would like to express my gratitude to my professor Dr. Yinhai Wang for his endless support and invaluable advising. I am very fortunate that I was accepted into the STAR Lab at the start of my freshman year at UW,” Yu says.

As part of the honor, Yu will receive recognition in various ASCE publications as well as a scholarship.