Engineering Students Prepare for Concrete Canoe Competition
Engineering Students Prepare for Concrete Canoe Competition
May 2, 2005
Rowan University?s College of Engineering is sending 13 students to compete in the regional section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition in Flushing Meadows at Corona Park, NY on May 7.
The event is the Metropolitan Region segment of the 2005 ASCE/Master Builders, Inc. National Concrete Canoe contest and will feature students from institutions from New Jersey and New York City.
The canoes are constructed of concrete and reinforcing materials, but the students don?t use traditional concrete. Instead the students use lightweight aggregates like glass beads or microballoons, chemical admixtures and light but strong reinforcement materials such as graphite and carbon fiber mesh. This makes the canoes lighter, stronger and faster because the concrete mix is lighter then water.
The concrete mix is an important factor in the success of a canoe, as well as the design. Students must find the right balance of conflicting characteristics for speed, maneuverability and stability. Winners advance to the national round at Clemson University from June 25-27.
More than 250 college civil engineering students compete in the regional races held March through May in an attempt to qualify for the collegiate engineering event, which challenges students to design, build and race concrete canoes. Teams compete for scholarship prizes awarded by Degussa Admixtures, Inc. and Master Builders, Inc.
The competition provides students with hands-on experience with engineering principles and encourages them to use problem-solving and project management skills. Their scores will be based on the appearance and structural integrity of the final canoe. A display, written and oral presentations detailing the canoes? design, construction and materials are also weighed in the overall rating of the canoe.
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The event is the Metropolitan Region segment of the 2005 ASCE/Master Builders, Inc. National Concrete Canoe contest and will feature students from institutions from New Jersey and New York City.
The canoes are constructed of concrete and reinforcing materials, but the students don?t use traditional concrete. Instead the students use lightweight aggregates like glass beads or microballoons, chemical admixtures and light but strong reinforcement materials such as graphite and carbon fiber mesh. This makes the canoes lighter, stronger and faster because the concrete mix is lighter then water.
The concrete mix is an important factor in the success of a canoe, as well as the design. Students must find the right balance of conflicting characteristics for speed, maneuverability and stability. Winners advance to the national round at Clemson University from June 25-27.
More than 250 college civil engineering students compete in the regional races held March through May in an attempt to qualify for the collegiate engineering event, which challenges students to design, build and race concrete canoes. Teams compete for scholarship prizes awarded by Degussa Admixtures, Inc. and Master Builders, Inc.
The competition provides students with hands-on experience with engineering principles and encourages them to use problem-solving and project management skills. Their scores will be based on the appearance and structural integrity of the final canoe. A display, written and oral presentations detailing the canoes? design, construction and materials are also weighed in the overall rating of the canoe.
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