Join Renew My Profile Sitemap Contact FAQ/Help Log Out Join Renew MyProfile SiteMap Contact Help Logout Home
ASCE
ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT!


Media Contact(s):

Joan Buhrman, ASCE

office: 703-295-6406
cell: 571-213-3812
jbuhrman@asce.org



Kelly Mawby, Master Builders
office: 216-839-7071
cell: 216-780-5964 (after 6/17)
kelly.mawby@degussa.com



June 8, 2004

Reston, Va. - They weigh in at anything from a lithe 105 lbs to a hefty 350 lbs. They come in a rainbow of colors including gunmetal gray, orange, "Astro Blue," and of course, gold. They range from the whimsical "S.S. Milwaukee," to the mysterious "The Darkness," and are inspired by everything from fly-fishing to paying tribute to a friend's memory. The one thing they have in common is the rock hard determination of the students who will paddle them to victory - and the rock hard material they are made of: concrete.

Hundreds of civil engineering students from across North America will converge in the nation's capital June 18-20, 2004, for the 17th annual ASCE/MBT National Concrete Canoe Competition, where they will make the impossible a reality: design, build and race canoes made of concrete. The best and brightest from 22 top engineering schools will compete for $9,000 in scholarships by posting the best overall score in categories including the canoe's aesthetics and structural integrity, a written paper detailing their design and construction process, a business presentation on the canoe's design, construction and materials, and finally, the races.

The concrete canoe competition represents one-third of a weekend-long celebration of this versatile material, under the banner of "Celebrating Concrete!" ASCE and MBT are partnering with the National Building Museum to present "Celebrating Concrete!" The festivities kick off at the National Building Museum on Friday, June 18, with the aesthetics judging portion of the competition and a welcome dinner for the students. On Saturday, June 19, the National Building Museum's opens the new exhibition, Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete, surveying cutting-edge architecture in which the versatility of concrete is an essential aspect of the design. On the same day and in conjunction with exhibition opening, the National Building Museum will present a Concrete Carnival from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Children and their families will be able to explore the many surprising aspects of concrete through hands-on activities like mixing edible "concrete" and making and decorating concrete paperweights. Visitors to the Concrete Carnival will also be able to watch a portion of the competition, including student presentations and preliminary floatation tests measuring the canoes' abilities in water, and enjoy direct interaction with the young competitors. The presentations, as well as a preliminary floatation test to measure the canoe's abilities in the water, will be held at the National Building Museum.

Seventy-five percent of the students' score is based on the canoe design, written paper and business presentation. The remaining 25 percent is based on a series of slalom/endurance and sprint races held on the last day of the competition, Sunday, June 20, at Lake Fairfax in Reston, Va. Racing begins at 7:30 am and will conclude at 3:00 pm. "We have seen amazing technical advancements in the concrete canoe designs and construction over the past 17 years," said Master Builders, Inc. President and CEO Mike Shydlowski. "Every year we challenge the students to develop new ways to utilize concrete, and every year they produce boats that rival Olympic racing canoes in speed and maneuverability."

That still leaves one question unanswered: Of all the things that can be built with concrete, why a canoe? "These students will be the ones to solve the global water supply problem, the energy crisis, and even space colonization," said ASCE President Patricia D. Galloway, P.E., F.ASCE, PMP. "Young engineers can learn everything in the classroom, except how to respond with ingenuity and creativity. Daring to overcome impossible challenges, like building a canoe out of concrete, requires the kind of bold and innovative solutions necessary to keep up with the world's infrastructure needs."

The competition is organized and sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Master Builders and presented in partnership with the National Building Museum. The awards banquet and ceremony will be held at The Catholic University of America, which will also serve as the host school for the participating students. Additional support for the National Concrete Canoe Competition is provided by co-sponsors Baker Concrete Construction, Cemex USA and U.S. Silica Company. The Concrete Carnival, along with the exhibition Liquid Stone, are made possible by Lafarge.

Teams competing in the 2004 ASCE/MBT National Concrete Canoe Competition include: University of Alabama in Huntsville; Montana State University; California State Polytechnic University Pomona; New Mexico State University; California State University Sacramento; North Carolina State University; Clemson University; Oklahoma State University; Drexel University; University of Oklahoma; Fairmount State College; Polytechnic University; Universit? Laval; Rochester Institute of Technology; University of Massachusetts Amherst; Texas A&M University; Michigan Tech University; Villanova University; Milwaukee School of Engineering; Western Kentucky University; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For additional information on the National Concrete Canoe Competition, visit the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/inside/nccc2004/. Additional details on the exhibition Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete and the Concrete Carnival can be found at www.nbm.org.

Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 133,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002.
Founded in 1909, Master Builders, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative chemical and mineral admixtures used in the production of specialty and high quality concrete used in the ready mix, precast, manufactured concrete products, paving and underground markets. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Master Builders, Inc. operates as part of Degussa Construction Chemicals, the largest manufacturer of construction chemicals worldwide. The parent company, Degussa AG, is headquartered in D?sseldorf, Germany and is the world's largest specialty chemical company.
Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. - "A great company to work with and a great place to work." Baker Concrete Construction Inc., was founded in 1968 in Oxford, Ohio. Baker presently operates throughout the continental United States and is committed to building upon a tradition of creating concrete solutions from concept to completion into the 21st century.
CEMEX - a leading global producer and distributor of cement, and one of the largest ready mix companies in the U.S.
U. S. Silica Company -Produces high purity silica, kaolin, aplite.
The National Building Museum is America's premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

 



   
---
Copyright © 1996 - 2009 | Comments | Privacy | Questions | Terms and Conditions | Webmaster