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Among the valuable lessons Luke Nichols has learned in college is the truth in the saying “A good night’s sleep lays a foundation for a good day ahead.”

“Every single night I close my computer at 8 and read for a little while before I go to sleep a little bit before 9 p.m.,” the civil engineering major from North Liberty, Iowa, said. The senior gets a lot of productivity out of the other 15 to 16 hours in his day. “I seriously prioritize my sleep. Out of all the things I do, I think that provides me the most success. 

“My efficiency is extremely high. Providing that consistency has allowed me to know exactly what I can do the next day.”

What Nichols does is quite impressive.

He holds a 3.91 GPA and is active in Tau Beta Pi honor society and Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society, is involved in undergraduate research, is a residence hall community assistant and is a member of the ������Ƶ swimming team. 

Acquaintances may make fun of his early bedtimes, but they can’t argue with Nichols’ results.

“It definitely comes with people making fun of me, but it works for me. Waking up the next day and being completely recharged, my efficiency is much higher. It’s been a key to my success,” Nichols said.

While dorm life is known to turn college students into night owls, the opposite has been the case for Nichols. As a high schooler, he tended to go to bed when his family did. As a college student, he became more rigid in his sleep schedule, and as a community assistant since March of his sophomore year, he has had a single room, which also facilitates early shut eye.

Alarm clock signals early morning swim

With Nichols’ schedule, sleeping in isn’t an option. He and his Jackrabbits teammates are in the pool at 6 a.m. each Monday-Saturday and then back there again at 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Swim practices are 20 hours per week plus team meetings and team bonding as well as stretching for injury prevention and rehabbing of any injuries. “The transition from high school to college is very challenging. The coach expects a lot out of us. It’s a lot of effort and time to maintain yourself. You constantly have to be taking care of your body,” he said.

Academics don’t get in the way of his pool pursuits. In fact, Nichols considers it complimentary.

“Swimming takes my mind off of studies. It is separate entirely from the rest of my life,” said Nichols, who primarily competes in the butterfly stroke.

He was a two-time state champion for Iowa City West High School and wanted to continue swimming at a high level while studying engineering at “a really good program,” Nichols said. So when he graduated from high school in 2021, ������Ƶ seemed like a really good fit. That has certainly proved true, he said.

Draws praise from faculty

“Being able to establish that personal connections with my professors and go to their office at any time, even if it is only a minute question, is so valuable,” Nichols said.

For professor Chris Schmit, his adviser, having students like Nichols is rewarding as well. Schmit said, “I really appreciate his interaction with me in and out of class. Luke always has thoughtful comments and asks relevant questions that show he is very engaged in his major and cares about the civil engineering profession.”

Phuong Nguyen, an assistant professor in construction and concrete industry management, said of Nichols, “Luke is an excellent student. He is very passionate about civil engineering research, especially bridge inspection and maintenance activities. I am very glad to have Luke in my research group at ������Ƶ. 

“In spring 2024, he received the Future Inventor of America Fellowship from the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering’s Dean’s Office to investigate the current practices of using digital technologies, including building information modeling, virtual reality and augmented reality, to enhance bridge inspections. 

“His work is important to assist state Departments of Transportation, especially South Dakota DOT, in improving the efficiency of bridge inspections and maintenance operations.”

Wrapping up research project

Nichols has been working with Nguyen since January 2024 as an undergraduate research assistant. Paired with Amr Ashmawi, a graduate teaching assistant in construction and concrete industry management, they are tasked with integrating building information modeling with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

“We’re working on taking a visual inspector’s role in the field and making it a more precise and digital method to communicate with an online model,” Nichols said.

Ashmawi’s role was to create the computer model. Nichols’ role was to research bridges and determine what type of structures they would like to implement their technology on as well as determine where their methodology could replace what is currently being done in the field.

He said, “The most effective application of this methodology will be in quantifying onsite data to prove the status of the bridge. This is important in soliciting funding and assessing the current state of our infrastructure.”

Nichols explained that during the construction or inspection phase, a drone or robot could be used to gather onsite data.

“For example, during excavation, say they have to dig out a deep hole for the placement of a new foundation or on the embankment of a river they need to excavate for (bridge) end caps. The sensor would take a GPS shot of the current level of the earth and communicate that back to the model and calculate the cubic yards that need to be removed. 

“Then the model would communicate that back to an excavator that would automatically be able excavate this soil,” said Nichols, noting that the technology is currently used in interstate construction.

Project to lead to journal paper

The trio is currently in the final phase of submitting a paper on their work to the journal Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, Elsevier.

Nguyen said, “This publication aims to provide high-quality, scholarly research that addresses a research gap regarding the digitization process of bridge inspections using emerging technologies, such as building information modeling. The findings of this paper are expected to assist transportation agencies in enhancing their bridge inspections and maintenance operations.”

Nichols academic success also has been recognized in athletic circles.

He will be a four-time selection to the Summit League Academic Honor Roll and was a 2023-24 selection for the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team with the current team yet to be selected. In 2023 he was part of school record relay teams in the 200- and 400-yard medleys.

His 2024 times in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in school history.

Swim coach Doug Humphrey said, “Luke has been a fantastic member of the swimming and diving team over the past four years. He has become an incredible swimmer but more importantly an essential part of our success.  He has dedicated himself to becoming the best he can be in and out of the pool.  

“He has excelled in the classroom and dedicated himself to the university working as a RA (residence adviser).  His bright and positive demeanor is infectious among the team, leaving the team with laughter, smiles and pride to call him a Jackrabbit.”

Swimmers attracted to STEM

Nichols is by no means the only engineer on the team. In fact, 12 of the 30 swimmers on the men’s roster are engineering majors as are two of the women’s swimmers.

Nichols explains, “Swimmers are very smart people. They also love that break in the day. Swimming is almost mathematical. The repetitive nature of swimming has a lot of overlap with engineering due to the math-orientated mindset. Numbers are required for swimming. 

“For example, I might experiment with drinking 200 ounces of water a day rather than 175 ounces. It’s a very specific science. I think that’s where the engineering students see a lot of success and overlap. With the quantitative mindset of an engineer, you can see a lot overlap in the sport of swimming.”

“Every decision we make is directedly reflected in the practice or your performance in a competition.”

Whatever Nichols is doing, it appears to be effective. He brought his 200-yard butterfly down five seconds to 1:51.31 between his sophomore and junior seasons. He gives the credit to his teammates.

“Without them, training on my own would be impossible. Having that group to push me to do my best makes all the difference. I 100% attribute that to my teammates who are able to push me. Having that group to race against every day really brings out the competitive nature on a daily basis. Having a group that understands every nuisance of the workout is really fun,” Nichols said.

He is fully aware that his competitive swimming days are about to end. The conference championship is Feb. 19-22 in Iowa City, only 10 miles from his home. He would like nothing more than to shine on his home stage.

Next stop: TBD

Nichols has had internships in site engineering, water engineering and structural engineering during the last three summers and has been mentored by noted ������Ƶ civil engineering graduate Kari Sebern since fall of his freshman year. Those experiences have taught him he wants to go into structural engineering.

“It seems to be the most diverse field with the different opportunities— you could have a house, or a 100-story building or a museum that goes  hundreds of feet wide, or you could have a bridge. It’s just super diverse. There’s just so many different avenues,” Nichols said.

Precisely what that will look like in June is to be determined. “In spring semester, I hope to meet teams in person. I would like to go to the Mountain West, somewhere near the mountains to ski,” he said.

Regardless of where Nichols lands his first job, his employer can expect bright-eyed, energized graduate ready to take on the day.