Digging deep

Hanna Nordwall — Tue, 19 May 2026 18:23:42 +0000

Digging deep Hanna Nordwall Tue, 05/19/2026 - 12:23

Jeff Zehnder

Memorial volleyball tournament has been supporting CU Engineering students for over 20 years

Chad Keller

A player dives into a save with an erupting cloud of beach sand. Onlookers cheer as the ball is propelled back and forth over the net.

It’s a typical-looking beach volleyball game on California’s Manhattan Beach, but this one is part of an annual tournament that honors a lost friend and supports engineering education.

Chad Keller’s (AeroEngr’93) life and career were tragically cut short in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But his memory endures through a scholarship that has helped dozens of ��ñ�� aerospace students.

Since its creation in 2002, the volleyball tournament has given family and friends a way to fund the scholarship, which provides awards of $12,000-$14,000 to two or three students each year.

“We get to meet the students and see the difference this has made in their lives,” said Kathy Keller, Chad’s mother. “We’re honored and blessed.”

Recipients have gone on to positions as engineering professors and in industry at small and large organizations, including SpaceX, Sierra Space, Boeing, NASA, Scaled Composites and BAE Systems.

Dick Keller said his son knew from an early age that he was going to launch rockets.

After graduation, Chad worked at Boeing on rocket propulsion systems that lifted national security payloads and satellites into orbit. On 9/11, after completing a briefing with the Department of Defense on a recent satellite launch, he boarded American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. He was 29 years old.

Following the loss, his parents and wife, Lisa, were determined to honor his memory in an ongoing way. The result was the scholarship in Chad’s name for undergraduates in aerospace engineering sciences.

“Chad was an immense Buffs fan. He loved the sports, loved the school and loved the area,” Dick said.

The Kellers encouraged family members and friends to donate, and with Lisa and Chad’s three closest friends, organized an annual volleyball tournament in his hometown of Manhattan Beach to continue raising money.

“When Chad was growing up, we’d always go down to the beach in the late evenings. The kids would bring their surfboards, and we had adults who were very good at volleyball, so everyone learned it. We’d surf and play volleyball until sunset,” Dick said.

Their expectations for the tournament were small, but the now-annual event and scholarship have endured for more than two decades.

“Rather than being endowed, the scholarship is funded each year through the volleyball participant donations. We’ve now done it for 23 years,” Dick said.

The tournament typically brings out 100-150 people.

“The tournament started with Chad’s friends, and now they’re all in their 50s, and it’s their kids who are competing. Past scholarship recipients will also attend, and a lot of them give back as well,” Dick said.

In establishing the scholarship, the Kellers decided it would go to juniors or seniors in aerospace engineering who also participate in sports and are actively engaged in community service or volunteering.

“The sport doesn’t need to be Division One or varsity, but we want students who are well-rounded; the kind of person who is living life to the fullest. That’s what makes us think of Chad every day,” Dick said.

Family and friends use an annual volleyball tournament to fund a scholarship in memory of Chad Keller (AeroEngr’93).

Off

Traditional

White

Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program bridges students to the infrastructure workforce

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 21:15:32 +0000

Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program bridges students to the infrastructure workforce Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 07/11/2024 - 15:15

Zoe Kresek (CivEng’23) had a passion for design and construction from an early age. She would sit for hours building marble runs and Lego creations.

As she advanced in her education, she knew engineering was the best path to match her interests. However, determining a specific area of focus and where to apply her engineering education was more evasive. As part of the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program, she visited the Central I-70 construction site, where she went underground and viewed the pipe structures. This experience piqued her interest in water resources and helped narrow the focus of her civil engineering major.

“I’d seen many pictures and videos of engineering, but being on the site gave me a completely different perspective. Going down into the ground and seeing the ginormous pipes was the highlight of the trip for me,” said Kresek.

Since the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars Program launched at ��ñ�� in 2020, it has given engineering students an inside view of the design and construction industry. This month, Kiewit Corporation extended the program for five years with a generous $2.5 million investment, demonstrating a sustained commitment to the success of students.

Building the engineering workforce pathway

Each academic year, 25 to 35 students participate in the program, which includes financial aid, industry mentorship, guaranteed internship offers and professional development programming. Programs that support students’ professional development are especially important to address the problem of aging and deteriorating infrastructure systems in the U.S.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) most recent Report Card for America’s Infrastructure in 2021 rated infrastructure in the U.S. at a C-. The government is working to improve infrastructure systems through legislation. However, according to a 2023 article from ASCE, civil engineering firms find it challenging to hire and retain the skilled employees needed for the infrastructure work that is suddenly available.

The Kiewit program is helping to educate the future workforce needed to tackle these issues by helping students understand how to apply their education to their future careers. Students like Kresek can participate in internships and receive support in their search for a full-time position through resume workshops, interview practice and mentorships.

“At Kiewit, we believe in the value of leadership development for those entering the construction and engineering industry,” said John Donatelli, president of Infrastructure Engineers for Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. and executive sponsor for the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program at ��ñ��. “Our partnership with ��ñ�� and, importantly, the programming and mentoring we provide to the students is one more step we are taking toward building a pipeline of well-rounded future industry leaders.”

Offering mutually beneficial solutions

Reaching students at the college level benefits the university, students and Kiewit.

“With their Lone Tree headquarters right in our backyard, we can tap into their knowledge. We invite experts from Kiewit into the classrooms to share their experiences and lessons learned with our students,” said Chris Senseney, associate teaching professor and director of the Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program at ��ñ��.

By participating in the education process, Kiewit helps develop the skills and knowledge students need to succeed in the workforce. Likewise, ��ñ�� has a strong civil engineering department, which is even more robust when students can access industry experts and internship opportunities.

The investment pays off for students like Kresek. After graduation, she accepted a position as a drainage engineer with Kiewit Engineering Group, Inc. in Lone Tree, Colorado. This demonstrates that Kiewit’s investment at ��ñ�� produces the engineers needed to meet industry demand and solve critical infrastructure problems.

“The Kiewit Design-Build Scholars program is an extraordinary model for engineering workforce development, rooted in our shared vision and goals,” said Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “Kiewit and ��ñ�� are dedicated to creating the highest caliber and most diverse group of engineers to address the pressing infrastructure challenges of our time.”

Off