Students in this year’s URI civil and environmental engineering capstone course were challenged to develop a plan for the 25-acre site of Schartner Farms in Exeter that would include a hotel, a roundabout and a solar energy field.

The students were split into four engineering “firms,” named Kingston Consultants, Stratton Oakmont Consulting, Built to Last Engineering, and 401 Engineering.

Students were then assigned specific engineering responsibilities within each group:

• transportation (roundabout and parking lot)
• environmental (onsite waste disposal, retention ponds to catch runoff)
• structural (steel design of the hotel)
• geotechnical (foundation of the hotel)

Fourth generation farmer Tim Schartner welcomed the students to the farm for a site visit during the course.

The course culminated with each group presenting its project to peers, faculty and the capstone advisors.