ASCE Los Angeles Section

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

BS Civil Engineering, Structural Emphasis - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
MS Civil Engineering, Structural Mechanics - UC Davis
PhD Civil Engineering, Computational Mechanics - UC Berkeley

ASCE San Luis Obispo Branch Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award

Cal Poly ASCE student chapter Faculty Advisor since 9/2013. Has adapted to the role extremely quickly and is a vital part in maintaining our student chapter excellence.
Cal Poly ASCE student chapter - Steel Bridge Advisor since 1998

Dr. Kasper has been an astounding Faculty Advisor for the Cal Poly Society of Civil Engineers (SCE). He began his role as Faculty Advisor in the Fall of 2013, and has been an asset to the student chapter ever since. His involvement includes communicating with the university on behalf of the student chapter, attending student led meetings and events, and advising the student Steel Bridge team project.

By being a proactive liaison between the university and the student chapter, he has been an essential part in allowing the student chapter to offer an abundance of activities that benefit the student members. He has ensured that SCE events are school approved and safe by submitting documents on time and holding safety meetings before our off-campus events. Dr. Kasper has also worked with the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department to verify that SCE activities are in compliance with department policies.

Though teaching upper division civil classes and doing private consulting work throughout the year, Dr. Kasper has been very involved with student chapter activities. He makes time for meetings and commits jointly with Dr. Hall to having at least one of them present at both the officer and the general student chapter meetings. Dr. Kasper is actively engaged in the officers’ discussions and has shared multiple ideas with the officers, including ways to reach out to alumni and ideas on civil engineering community service events. He has attended many student chapter events, including the Pacific Southwest Conference in San Diego, and the past 16 ASCE Steel Bridge National competitions.

In addition to involvement in student chapter events, Dr. Kasper has been the faculty advisor for the ASCE Steel Bridge Team for 16 years. Using his civil engineering expertise and teaching ability, he has been a valuable resource to the student team members each year. His involvement includes meeting in the fall with the captains to review their timeline and financial plan, as well as educating them on ways to perform advanced testing on their bridge. He allows students to take a hands on approach to truly embrace the learn by doing environment at Cal Poly, while still holding students accountable for assignments and deadlines. In addition, Dr. Kasper exemplifies effective teaching techniques that encourage students to follow two strong principals of the Mustang Way: Foster Excellence and Lead by Example.  He teaches in a clear and direct manner and is very approachable outside of the classroom.

Dr. Kasper has a great sense of humor and has been a great resource and a pleasure to work with this year.