ASCE Casts Concrete Canoe
February 22, 2005

The civil engineering students have been hard at work again this year readying for the American Society of Civil Engineering Concrete Canoe Competition in April this year. The students spent about six hours on Sunday and accomplished a major milestone in the project – placing the lightweight concrete mix onto the canoe mold they had fashioned. The 21-foot long canoe has a hull thickness of 3/8 inch with three layers of a polypropylene mesh inside the hull to help keep the concrete from cracking. Students will travel to Chicago at the end of April to race their concrete canoe against schools such as Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The competition also includes a design paper and an oral presentation. Last year the team placed third in their region behind eventual national champions UW-Madison and second place Milwaukee School of Engineers. The students are looking to go to the national competition this year, under the leadership of Julie Elpers, project manager.

Pictured (l-r) Freshman Jackie Foote, freshman Brian Meunier, and sophomore Nick Waninger place the last layer of concrete on the canoe as junior Tyler Tackett ensures quality control in the background.