Concrete Day @ UMD Explores Future of Industry

The UMD Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosted its second annual Concrete Day @ UMD event on September 30 on the UMD campus.

The annual, all-day event brings together industry leaders, faculty, and students with the aim of fostering collaboration, exploring innovations, and developing new opportunities to support students in the field of concrete engineering. Professor Nii Attoh-Okine, chair of the UMD Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, led the event.

The department organized Concrete Day in partnership with the National Capital Chapter of the American Concrete Institute, American Concrete Institute-Maryland, the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association (MRMCA), the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), PCI Mid-Atlantic, and the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).

Among the event highlights were the following presentations and panel discussions:

Conor Kevit of Clark Construction gave a presentation on enhancing quality and safety with sensors in formwork

Intikhab Haider, deputy director for materials quality at the SHA’s Office of Materials Technology, discussed QA/QC processes for concrete products at the SHA

Assistant Professor Jianqiang Wei of the UMD Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering presented a lecture titled Beyond the Mix: Reimagining Concrete for Tomorrow’s Infrastructure

Dee Dee Kennedy, executive director of the MRMCA, moderated a panel discussion on careers in the concrete industry. Panelists included UMD Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Miroslav Skibiniewsi, Metromont Vice President David Orndorff, NRMCA Vice President Glenn Schaefer, WDP & Associates Senior Engineer Kelsey Sheridan, and Vicki Stewart, concrete technology division chief at the SHA’s Office of Materials technology.

Capping the event were demos on non-destructive testing and investigation methods, 3D printing using ultra high performance concrete, and the process leading from materials and proportions to fresh concrete.

Students participated in several events during the day, with the UMD Concrete Day presenting an overview of its competition history and current activities. Student winners of a Design Precast Project competition at the UMD School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation also presented their work.

Published October 12, 2026