A competitive construction science team will compete for the national title after winning its regional competition in Dallas two weeks ago.

OU’s team will meet other teams at the Associated General Contractors convention for the National Student Championship March 5-7 in San Diego.

OU’s squad operates through the construction science division of the College of Architecture and consists of six construction science majors who plan realistic city projects by estimating the cost of materials, labor and equipment to build the site. They also schedule a sequence of work to be done on a timeline.

At the regional competition, the team simulated Founders Plaza and Levitt Pavilion, a real project recently built in Arlington, Texas, said Sarah Brockhaus, construction science junior.

The opportunity to compete at a high level is very rare, said construction science professor Richard Ryan. This kind of opportunity also puts OU’s construction science program on the map for future students, he said.

“In the world of academia, this is the best it gets,” Ryan said. “Six bodies acting as one brain, marching in unison for the grand prize.”

Dominique Pittenger, graduate student and construction science professor, coaches and travels with the team while Doug Gransberg, longtime coach and construction science professor, is on sabbatical in New Zealand.

She said the team’s success is credited to the experiences its members have already received in college.

“These guys are very successful at what they do because of the experience they have received from internships,” Pittenger said.

Michael Ratcliff, construction science senior, said he thinks the team is well prepared for the national competition because of its success at the regional competition.

“This is my third year on the team and I think this is the best team we’ve had,” he said. “I think we will do well as long as we keep the same pace as at the regional competition.”

The team will compete against seven teams which all placed first in their regional competitions, Brockhaus said.

She said the competitions have given students more than just a hobby. Companies look highly at students who have participated in teams like Heavy-Civil, she said.

“Competing on this team gives us networking with companies we could possibly work with in the future,” Brockhaus said.

She said the projects the team works on during the competitions are very realistic because they have already been done by companies or will be done in the near future.