Grant Goertzen

Degree: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Future Plans: Currently on track to graduate with an accelerated Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Boise State in December of 2024. Afterward, he intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with the long-term goal of becoming a professor.

Honored Faculty: Dr. Bhaskar Chittoori, Ph.D., P.E., Chair and Professor, Civil Engineering

Grant is an accelerated master’s student from Vancouver, Washington, studying Civil Engineering, focusing on geotechnical engineering. His time as an undergraduate student was spent on numerous jobs, internships, clubs,  sports, and research. Grant has a passion for teaching which led him to work as a private tutor for both Business and  Multivariable Calculus, a Learning Assistant for Calculus I, II, and III, and a tutor for the Math department in Engineering Statistics, Calculus III, and Differential Equations. Grant also completed two internships as an undergrad, one as a project manager and estimator for Marion Construction in Portland, Oregon, and the other as a  structural and access road engineer for the Bonneville Power Administration in Vancouver, Washington. Grant  was very active in the Boise State Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, where he was a member of  the Concrete Canoe, Concrete Bowling Ball, and Steel Bridge teams, as well as the co-executive director of the club during his senior year. Grant also worked on two research teams, primarily exploring the efficacy and applications of Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation for use as both a pavement subbase on a section of Highway 95 and to create a bulletproof wall for the U.S. Military. He also worked on a team that performed seismic vulnerability analysis of unreinforced masonry structures in Eastern Idaho through the Civil Engineering and Geoscience departments to identify structures that posed a significant threat to public health and safety.

Although Civil Engineering and academia are some of Grant’s passions, they are not his only passions. Grant has volunteered as a route setter for the Outdoor Programs climbing wall, which evolved into a paid position. He also worked for the Commons Climbing Gym and Asana Bouldering Gym as part of their setting maintenance teams, where he helped prepare for climbing competitions like the Boise State Annual Rocktober Climbing Competition, the Idaho Bouldering Championships, and the 2023 YETI National Championship. In addition to climbing, Grant loves skiing, hiking, mountaineering, and cliff-jumping.

Grant is from Vancouver, Washington.

Scholarships and Awards: Gem Scholarship, Graduate Assistantship, Engineering in Training Certification, Fundamentals of Engineering Civil, Order of the Engineer Pledge, Accepted into the Accelerated Masters Civil Engineering Program, Dean’s List with Highest Honors, Competed in the American Society of Civil Engineers Intermountain Southwest Student Symposium