The University of Colorado Denver, through the College of Engineering and Applied Science, has been named an American Concrete Institute (ACI) Outstanding University for 2011. This is the second consecutive year that the university has received this honor.
The ACI Award for University Student Activities was initiated to recognize universities that have participated in ACI-related activities, which include student membership in the American Concrete Institute, participating on ACI committees and participating in local ACI chapter activities.

This award represents the amazing work that students and faculty are doing at the university.  CU Denver was 1 of 15 universities to be recognized by ACI as an Outstanding University.  More than 40 students from the CU Denver College of Engineering and Applied Science are members of the American Concrete Institute, and each semester students get certified by ACI to test concrete.

CU Denver has come to the forefront of concrete materials education and research in the state of Colorado.  This is a result of research in sustainable concrete materials, performance of concrete mixtures and pervious concrete, a program to certify students in concrete testing, as well as the many collaborations with industry partners throughout the state.  Noteworthy events from 2011 include CU Denver being the first Colorado university to host an ACI Rocky Mountain Chapter meeting as well as four students receiving ACI scholarships (typically, only two scholarships are awarded by the Rocky Mountain region each year).

“It’s great to see the university recognized at this level two years in a row,” says Kevin Rens, chair of the CU Denver Department of Civil Engineering. “Our concrete materials program continues to grow and generate awareness with industry throughout the state.”

CU Denver was recognized at the ACI 2012 convention on Sunday, March 18, in Houston, Texas, and will be mentioned in an upcoming issue of Concrete International.