West Lafayette, IN — On March 11, 2026, the Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I), in close partnership with Purdue University, hosted a highly successful Industry & University Connection Event. The gathering served as a powerful testament to the value of private-sector collaboration with academia, bringing together leading infrastructure contractors, national associations, and engineering students to strengthen the industry’s talent pipeline.
Spearheaded by Dr. Tom Iseley, Beavers Heavy Construction Distinguished Fellow at Purdue, the event underscored a core BAMI-I mission: taking students beyond the textbook and immersing them in the realities of the underground infrastructure sector.
The Power of the Purdue Partnership!
Purdue University is uniquely positioned as a leader in civil and construction engineering, housing both the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering and the Bowen School of Construction. During the industry pre-meeting, faculty leaders—including Brandon Fulk, Mark Hastak, and Qiao Kang—highlighted Purdue’s aggressive approach to experiential learning.
From mandatory 12-week summer internships to the rigorous two-year progressive design-build capstone courses, Purdue is actively structuring its curriculum to meet the immediate needs of employers. The results are clear: the heavy civil engineering concentration has grown from just 4 students to over 40 in recent years, signaling a massive surge in student interest in underground and infrastructure construction.
“We have to have that connection between the textbook and the industry,” explained Dr. Iseley. “We have to have a nurturing, mentoring attitude from the time a student starts all the way through. It has to be a partnership.”
Industry Heavyweights Lean In
The call for partnership was answered enthusiastically by the private sector. The event drew an impressive roster of organizations and companies eager to connect with Purdue’s talent pool, including:
- Midwest Mole, Inc. – Daniel P. Bazzini; keynote presenter and event sponsor.
- Midwest Society for Trenchless Technology (MSTT) & National Clay Pipe Institute (NCPI) – Jeff Boschert, Steve Matheny, and Chris Schuler; MSTT announced a one-day seminar planned for September 29 in Detroit, with student chapter involvement in planning
- Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) – Camille Rubeiz discussed the Municipal Advisory Board and PPI’s HDPE fusion training program in Green Bay, WI, which two Purdue students have already attended on scholarship.
- Indiana Constructors, Inc. (ICI) – Represented by Dan Osborn.
- Milestone Contractors (A Heritage Group Company) – Represented by Carl Tungate.
- Grimmer Construction – Represented by Dan Harrington.
- Alliance of Indiana Rural Water –Adam Hershberger highlighted the implementation of HEA 1459, Indiana’s new mandate requiring comprehensive, risk-based asset management plans for all water and wastewater utilities.
- Seleno Inc. & Lloydger Excavation – Represented by Samantha Evans.
- ASCE Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) /Kimley Horn– Represented by Natalie Parks, highlighting the critical nature of ASCE 38 and 75 standards.
These industry leaders spent the afternoon strategizing on how to better integrate field trips, guest lectures, and hands-on technology demonstrations into the Purdue curriculum.
Student Chapters in Action
Following the industry roundtable, Purdue’s joint student chapters of the Underground Construction Association (UCA) and NASTT convened their monthly meeting — with industry guests present as observers and participants.
Chapter President Carly Wilkerson (UCA) and officers Daniel Herron, Greg, Sean (VP, both chapters), and outreach coordinator Chandra led the session. Three of the five officers present will graduate in May. Officer elections are scheduled for April 22, with industry sponsor David Mast, Vice President of AECOM Hunt, attending to support the transition.
The chapters hold monthly meetings, attend 3–5 national conferences annually, and organize job site visits throughout the year. Scholarship opportunities are available through both NASTT and UCA national organizations.
Keynote Highlight: Solving Engineering Challenges On Campus
The evening’s technical presentation came from Daniel P. Bazzini, Senior Project Manager at Midwest Mole and Purdue construction engineering alumnus. Bazzini presented Midwest Mole’s recently completed Chilled Water Enhancement Project — a campus installation requiring 2,300 feet of 36-inch HDPE pipe via an excavator shield TBM across two tunnels totaling 875 and 1,400 feet respectively.
The project encountered significant differing site conditions — nested cobbles and boulders not indicated in contract documents — requiring real-time adaptive decisions including emergency road closures, continuous flowable fill injection, and close coordination with university stakeholders to protect active chilled water infrastructure carrying approximately 20,000 gallons per minute.
For the students in the room, it was a direct demonstration of what claim management, safety leadership, and field communication look like under pressure.
Looking Ahead
The underground infrastructure industry is navigating a generational workforce transition at the same moment that federal and state infrastructure funding is at historic highs. The talent gap is real — and closing it requires industry and academia to act as partners, not observers of each other.
BAMI-I’s partnership with Purdue is one model for what that looks like in practice.
For companies interested in participating in future events, sponsoring student chapter activities, hosting site visits, or connecting with Purdue’s internship programs, contact BAMI-I at www.bami-i.com.
