NPCA professional staff traveled to Corvallis, Ore., to conduct a guest lecture at Oregon State University prior to attending the Washington On-Site Sewage Association’s Annual Septic-Con in Tacoma, Wash.
On Jan. 23, Director of Outreach and Technical Education Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP, offered a guest lecture to nearly 40 civil engineering seniors in Professor Yelda Turkan’s Engineering Planning & Scheduling course.
NPCA member Columbia Precast Products’ Kelly Patterson, P.E., accompanied Goguen, and the pair co-presented on the topic of precast products and considerations for project management.

Kelly Patterson, P.E., presents to OSU civil engineering students.
While on campus, Goguen and Patterson met with OSU AGC Liaison and Outreach Coordinator Erin Wirkkala to discuss ways in which local precast manufacturers can get involved in the civil engineering program. Goguen also met with Professor Jason Weiss to discuss the latest on the ASTM C13.03 MIC Project.
In the second segment of his Pacific Northwest outreach activities, Goguen attended Septic-Con 2020 to offer a presentation on troubleshooting septic tanks. The conference was attended by more than 550 onsite wastewater professionals and industry representatives.
The trip marks three consecutive years of NPCA’s involvement in Septic-Con and a second year of conducting guest lectures at OSU.
For assistance and direction on conducting local academic outreach, watch our Precast Learning Lab video on Building Education Relationships.
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