Four Penn State students recently traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National Society of Professional Land Surveyor's annual student competition. Credit: Provided by Jonathan Smith/Penn State
Civil engineering team places fourth in national surveying competition
Apr 7, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Four undergraduate members of Penn State’s land surveying club placed fourth at the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors (NSPS) Student Competition on March 17-20 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Organized by the NSPS’s Young Surveyors Network, the competition served as a field exercise and networking opportunity for participants.
Hosted in conjunction with the spring meeting of the NSPS, the competition challenged 18 teams from the U.S. and Puerto Rico to a two-part surveying task: a scavenger hunt-styled “monument hunt” around Washington, D.C., and a measurement exercise that required students to accurately traverse, triangulate and lay out a geographical boundary based off plans provided by organizers.
The student team consisted of civil engineering majors Tristan Dobbins, Jonathan Smith, Luke Jones and Zachary Smith, who were joined by faculty adviser Brian Naberezny, assistant teaching professor of civil and environmental engineering.
NSPS helps students and professionals communicate with lawmakers, agencies and regulators, while providing professional development opportunities to its members around the U.S. The Young Surveyors Network was established in 2014 to help early-career surveyors build relationships, collaborate and network with established professionals through events, meetings and competitions.
Students interested in joining Penn State’s surveying engineering club can learn more online.
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