USACE partners with NYU students on USMMA seawall rehabilitation project

The USACE New York District has partnered with New York University Tandon School of Engineering to provide graduate students with real-world project management experience through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s (USMMA) Seawall Rehabilitation Project.

Earlier this month, members of the District’s Project Delivery Team (PDT) presented an in-depth project overview to a cohort of NYU construction management graduate students completing their final capstone course, “Leadership, Ethics, and Project Execution.”

As part of the semester-long collaboration, the students are developing pre-construction management plans in response to a mock Request for Proposals centered on the USMMA seawall.

According to USACE, their work mirrors the real processes used by industry partners, federal agencies, and construction managers on major capital projects.

“The United States Merchant Marine Academy is thrilled to partner with USACE and having NYU graduate students join the effort is an added bonus,” said Rear Admiral John Shea, Director of Facilities & Infrastructure.

“As an academic institution, the Academy is proud that the Seawall project offers these outstanding students real‑world experience that will endure for generations, while strengthening and preserving this historic institution. It is truly an all‑hands‑on‑deck effort.”

The seawall rehabilitation project, located along 2,800 linear feet of non-uniform shoreline at Kings Point, is central to the Academy’s long-term campus modernization strategy.

Originally envisioned as a targeted repair, the seawall’s future design now incorporates considerations for sea level rise and impacts associated with a 500-year flood event.

USACE said that the goal is to restore structural integrity, prevent waterside erosion, and ensure compliance with modern safety and resilience standards.