Chi Epsilon

On 3/4, TCNJ Chi Epsilon, along with the TCNJ Chapters of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Women in Business (WIB), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Theta Tau, had the opportunity to explore real‑world construction careers through a Women in Construction Week panel hosted by the NAWIC Princeton Chapter. Representatives from the trades, engineering, architecture, project management, safety, and business operations shared their career paths, the technical demands of their roles, and what it meant to work as part of the 11% of women in the industry. The event included open networking before and after the discussion, allowing students to ask questions, seek advice, and build connections with women actively shaping the construction industry.

NAWIC Panelists

Panel discussion in progress

On February 25, 2026, TCNJ XE members and candidates collaborated with the ASCE and HE student clubs to stage a Steel Bridge construction demonstration. Members of the 2026 Steel Bridge team were on hand to guide students in bridge construction. After assembling the bridge, XE members competed for the coveted Krstic Cup. This year, the task was to build the tallest and sturdiest windy tower out of paper and tape that could withstand the wind from a small fan without toppling over. Congratulations go to our junior members, Mary, Lindsey, Rhea, and Riley, for their very inventive solution!

Bridge assembly in progress

Members of XE, ASCE, and HE showcase the 2026 TCNJ Steel Bridge

Emily, Terrell, Rebecca, and Jasmin are hard at work constructing their paper tower

Paper tower competition entries

2026 Krstic Cup winners Lindsey, Mary, Rhea, and Riley

On 2/13 and 2/20, Chi Epsilon, along with the TCNJ Chapters of the Society of Women Engineers and Theta Tau, volunteered at a Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey badge event for Brownies and Juniors. Volunteers helped the scouts “think like engineers” by guiding them through the engineering design process and a series of hands‑on building activities, including paddle boats, balloon cars, cranes, leap bots, fling flyers, and race car tracks.

Throughout the event, Chi Epsilon members shared insights from their own engineering experiences, giving the girls a meaningful look into what it’s like to study and explore the field. The chapter is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SWE and Theta Tau and to help inspire the next generation of engineers!

TCNJ XE members Sarah, Rebecca, Rhea, and Jasmyn at the Girl Scouts event.

Young engineers at work during the event.

TCNJ XE members and candidates kicked off the spring semester with our Invitation Social on February 4th. We reviewed XE history and last semester’s chapter activities, and enjoyed some local pizza while competing in a table football tournament. Our finalists were our sophomore candidate, Colin, and our junior member, Kevin, with Kevin taking the win. We look forward to a great semester!

TCNJ XE chapter held its Fall Induction Ceremony on December 7, 2025.

Congratulations goes to the following newly inducted TCNJ XE members:

Junior Undergraduate Members:

Riley Bringoli, Aren Kahn, Mary Koch, Sarah Laubsch, Allison Lavin, Jayson Lewis, Rhea Olmedo, Kevin O’Neill, Lindsey Yau

Alumni Member:

Reece Nordeen (’15)

Chapter Honor Member:

Basit (Sunny) Muzaffar

Chapter Trustees:

Dora Krstic (’24), Alec Kuncken (’22), Jillian Stanton (’24)

Back Row: Reece, Kevin, Jayson, Aren, Sarah, Sunny Front Row: Allison, Rhea, Riley, Mary, Lindsay

We would like to thank the following guests for attending:

Chapter Honor Members: Mrs. Robin Kemper, Prof. James Purcell, Mr. Raymond Mankbadi, Mr. Joseph Ettore,  Dr. Andrea Welker, and Dr. Kaz Tabrizi

Dr. Andrew Bechtel, Chair of the Civil Engineering Department

Download the induction ceremony program here.

TCNJ XE marked the end of the 2025 year with holiday crafts, cookies, and hot chocolate! Thank you to all our members for making this past year absolutely amazing. Happy Holidays!

On 11/19, TCNJ XE celebrated the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with a cornbread-making competition. Teams were tasked with coming up with unique ingredients to make their cornbread stand out. Cheese, maple syrup, elote, chocolate chips, M&Ms, and sweet potatoes were among the ingredients our members used. The cornbreads were baked in the soil ovens, and all came out delicious and were very much enjoyed by everyone. Our senior members, Emily and Sonny, prepared the tastiest cornbread using bourbon-aged maple syrup. Our senior member, Steve, and inductee Kevin came in second with an orange-infused syrup cornbread. The third place was claimed by our inductees, Mary and Lindsey, with their elote cornbread. Happy Thanksgiving!

TCNJ XE chapter held elections on 11/12, and the following officers were elected to serve during the 2026 calendar year:

• Jasmyn Watson, 2027 – President
• Sarah Laubsch, 2027 – Vice President
• Rebecca Kunz, 2027 – Secretary
• Jayson Lewis, 2027 – Treasurer
• Allison Lavin, 2027 – Marshal/Editor

Congratulations to the newly elected officers!

Jasmyn, Rebecca, Jayson, Sarah, Allison

On October 29th, TCNJ XE hosted Mr. Sam Donelson, PE, Chief Executive of AECOM’s U.S. East and Latin America Region, who gave an inspiring presentation on the technical dimensions of large-scale infrastructure projects. He spoke about design considerations, such as structural systems and sustainability; construction management techniques that ensure safety, quality, and schedule adherence; and program management strategies used to coordinate multiple disciplines and stakeholders on mega-projects.

On 11/5, together with TCNJ’s SWE and ASCE chapters, XE welcomed back two of our alumni, Charlotte Roarty (’23) and Owen Soler (’23). They presented a step-by-step workflow for site development and traffic analysis, illustrated with real-world case studies. Each project example showcased practical challenges and solutions, offering valuable insights into how engineering principles are applied.

On 11/19, TCNJ chapters of ASCE and XE welcomed back our alumnus Connor Conyngham (’23), who talked bout temporary design and works performed by Kiewit. Together with his colleagues, he discussed multiple projects, including the Gateway project, and the Francis Key Scott bridge project.

Thank you to all the presenters for taking the time to talk to us!