Members of the winning Northern Arizona University team from left to right are Caitlin Yazzie, Isabella Velasco, and Payton Correia. Not pictured: Zachary Fukumoto. 

 

CHICAGO — Northern Arizona University won the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s  (PCI) 2025 Big Beam Competition, a nationwide challenge that encourages college students to demonstrate excellence in structural design, teamwork, and innovation using precast, prestressed concrete.

The winning Northern Arizona University team was led by faculty advisor Ben Dymond with support from PCI producer TPAC. Team members include Payton Correia, Zachary Fukumoto, Isabella Velasco, and Caitlin Yazzie.

“The PCI Big Beam Competition has provided me with an invaluable, hands-on introduction to civil engineering that I would not have gained elsewhere,” said winning team member Caitlin Yazzie. “I’m grateful for this opportunity. The skills and insights I’ve gained will have a lasting impact on both my academic and professional journey.”

Teams of students and a faculty advisor design, build, and test a 20-foot, precast, prestressed concrete beam. Local PCI-certified precast concrete producers mentor and fabricate the beams for the teams. Entries are judged on a variety of criteria, including the beam’s load-resisting performance in tests that simulate real-life conditions structural building and infrastructure components must endure to ensure life safety, as well as the quality of their analysis and reports, and a video overview of their project.

“Now in its 25th year, the Big Beam Competition continues to be a cornerstone of PCI’s commitment to education and innovation,” said PCI President and CEO Bob Risser. “It’s inspiring to see the next generation of 

engineers tackle real-world challenges with such creativity and technical skill. These students represent the future of our industry.”

ALP Supply and ASPIRE magazine sponsored the 2025 Big Beam competition.

 

OVERALL RESULTS

First Place: Northern Arizona University

Faculty Advisor: Ben Dymond

Student Team: Payton Correia, Zachary Fukumoto, Isabella Velasco, Caitlin Yazzie

PCI Producer: TPAC

 

Other finishers in alphabetical order:

California State University, Sacramento

Faculty Advisor: Eric Matsumoto

Team Members: Kaitlin Ballisty, Joshua Mentukh, Dag Seyoum

PCI Producer: Clark Pacific

University of Western Ontario

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Maged Youssef

Team Members: Malcolm Ahsan, Hoor Almohamad, Isak Hirsch, Laura Kalab, Timothy Kerkhoff, Sourav Roy,  Owen Van Voorst

PCI Producer: Stubbes Precast Construction Ltd.

 

 

KEITH KAUFMAN AWARD FOR BEST REPORT AND BEST VIDEO

 

North Carolina State University

Faculty Advisor: Gregory Lucier 

Team Members: Paul Acuna, Anindya Samya Saha, Khaled Al-Sakaji

PCI Producer: Tindall Corporation

Read the entire release here. 

 

About PCI

Founded in 1954, The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is a technical institute for the precast concrete structures and systems industry. PCI develops maintains, and disseminates the Body of Knowledge for the design, fabrication, and construction of precast concrete structures and systems. PCI develops consensus base standards, industry handbooks, quality assurance programs, certification, research and development projects, design manuals, continuing education, and periodical publications. PCI members include precast concrete producers, erectors, suppliers, professional engineers and architects, educators, students, and industry consultants who complement the wide range of knowledge of precast concrete. For more information, visit pci.org/howprecastbuilds.