We have a really good culture in CEE.
Bruno De Falco grew up around construction sites, as both his father and grandfather were civil engineers in Venezuela. He knew from early on that he wanted to pursue the same field. His family moved from Venezuela to Florida in 2014, and in 2022 Bruno started at UMD through Freshman Connection. He officially declared CEE as his major at the start of his sophomore year. He is now a senior specializing in the Geotechnical and Structural track.
“We have a really good culture” in CEE, Bruno says. He describes the department as a tight-knit community, where “there’s always someone willing to help you.”
Bruno is involved in numerous Civil-related extracurriculars. He has been involved in ASCE and Concrete Canoe for two years; his Concrete Canoe team placed 1st overall in the 2024 regional intra-school competition. He also helped restart UMD’s student chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), for which he is Treasurer this year. He is also currently Treasurer for Chi Epsilon and Secretary for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
One of Bruno’s favorite experiences in CEE was doing research with Dr. Goulias in his sophomore year. This research focused on the applicability of low-carbon transportation materials, specifically recycled automobiles, in concrete mixtures. He also enjoyed traveling to Denmark as part of Dr. Kjellerup’s Global Green Challenge course. He has appreciated many of his other CEE courses as well; in particular, he has found his geotechnical courses “very applicable” to his interests.
Bruno has had internships after each year of college. In the summer of 2023 he interned with Prime Construction Associates in Fort Lauderdale, assisting with construction of a six-story apartment and retail building. The following summer he interned as a superintendent’s assistant for Maryland Construction LLC, also in Fort Lauderdale. Last summer he worked for Bechtel in Reston, Virginia, doing construction management for the design of a nuclear plant.
In his free time, Bruno likes to exercise, travel, play chess, and spend time with family and friends. He says he also likes to have random conversations with people he doesn’t know; it’s part of his commitment to “staying curious” and finding out more about the world. He says being very curious has helped him through all the moves and changes he’s experienced in his life.
Bruno has another big change, and another big move, ahead of him. He will be graduating in Spring 2026, after which he will be working for Bechtel full-time in Wyoming. He will be continuing his work from last summer on construction of a nuclear plant. Longer-term, he is considering getting his MBA and hopes to start his own company. Above all, he says, “I want to make an impact.”
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