Kennesaw State University’s surveying and mapping student competition team recently took third place during the National Society of Professional Surveyors annual student competition in Washington, D.C.

As the only student chapter for the Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia (SAMSOG), the KSU team is composed of surveying and mapping, and civil engineering students in the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. Six members of the 26-member team traveled to the nation’s capital for the presentation to industry experts.

The team was tasked to create and present large-scale boundary and topographical surveys for an 8- to 12-acre property. Through surveying work, the team created a large format plat and a binder of their fieldwork, reports and photography.
 
“We are a new team – none of us have been involved in the competition before – so not knowing what to expect was difficult,” said Craig Baines, president of KSU’s student SAMSOG chapter.  “But going to this competition allowed us to present on an international stage, connect with the surveying community nationally and talk with leaders who are creating the future of surveying.”  
 
In the past five years, the University’s student team has done well at the national competition, earning first place in 2014 and second place in 2013.  This year, the annual competition drew nine U.S. universities, seven of which offer four-year surveying degree programs.  
 
Kennesaw State’s surveying and mapping program, part of the Civil and Construction Engineering department, is the only ABET-accredited surveying program in Georgia.
 
The team has been preparing for this year’s competition since October, explained Daniel Branham, the team’s faculty advisor.
 
“This is the only team that represents the state of Georgia, and this has been an eye-opening experience for them in the world of surveying,” said Branham, lecturer of surveying and mapping. “The students were able to gain practical applications and follow the job from beginning to end.”