UOG SAME & ASCE Host 3^rd Annual Tower Building Competition

09/27/2025

By: Allysa Calilung, My-Phuong Nguyen, and Aimie Oilouch

The University of Guam School of Engineering (SENG) held its Third Annual Tower Building Competition on September 27, 2025 (Figure 1). Hosted by the UOG Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and the UOG American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the competition was open to all undergraduate students, giving them the opportunity to work together to design and build a tower that showcased their engineering knowledge and skills.

Figure 1. Group photo at the Third Annual Tower Building Competition.

Before the competition, each team received a tower-building kit and attended a workshop that explained the judging rubric and reviewed key structural concepts. This year, six teams representing various undergraduate majors participated (Figure 2), each constructing their own tower to undergo a series of tests. The event began with a presentation by Dr. Ernesto Guades, UOG SENG Division Chair, who discussed how structures respond to seismic forces. The towers were then evaluated on height, appearance, and most importantly, durability, as they were tested on an earthquake simulator under increasing loads.

After testing, the top three performing towers were from Team Palau (1^st Place), Team 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers (2^nd Place), and Team OPS (3^rd Place)! Monetary prizes were awarded to the winning teams for their excellent performance. The participating teams were also recognized for their hard work.

Figure 2 (a) 1^st Place - Team Palau (From left to right: Philip Bitlaol, NuNu Quinata, Charles Heberle, Francesca Dobrowolski), (b) 2^nd Place – Team Cleveland Cavaliers (From left to right: Ariel Balagtas, Darwin Jake Juacalla, Arnold Cainguitan, Micah-Zen Diaz, Caleb Chugrad), (c) 3^rd Place – Team OPS (Charlie Arnaiz), (d)Team Biggie Baggers (From left to right: Ricardo Duenas II, Ryan Daproza, Angel Velasco, Micheal Tenorio; Not pictured: John Estrada), (e) Team PUSO (From left to right: Shareen Gabriel, Kimberly Nepomuceno, Arielle Baza; Not pictured: Andrea Carranza, Amber Hecita, Arvin Garcia), (f) Team Women in STEM (From left to right: Amber Pangelinan, Isabella Palomo, Ivan Rosell; Not pictured: Celynn Lacsina)

UOG SAME and ASCE would like to extend special thanks to the following for judging this year’s competition: Dr. Ernesto Guades (UOG SENG), Dr. Phuong Tung Hoang (UOG SENG), Mr. Christian Jaleco (Brown and Caldwell), Ms. Myla Perito (UOG SENG), and Dr. Rui Zeng (UOG SENG) (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Judges (From left to right: Dr. Ernesto Guades, Mr. Christian Jaleco, Ms. Myla Perito, Dr. Rui Zeng, Dr. Phuong Tung Hoang).

Gian Paras, President of UOG’s ASCE, shared, “The Tower Building Competition is important because it gives students from all majors the chance to learn about engineering, apply technical skills, and work together, with the goal of inspiring them to pursue engineering.”

UOG SENG is excited to continue holding the Annual Tower Building Competition in the years ahead!