Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge winners advance to compete in society-wide competitions this summer
Reston, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2022 Northeast Symposium was hosted by three schools this year. From April 9–10, 2022, the University of Vermont virtually hosted events including a Student Paper Competition, 3 Pop-Up Leadership Workshops, and a Young Voice Panel. On April 23, the University of Connecticut hosted the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction)/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition on campus, and on April 24, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth virtually hosted the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition.
University of Connecticut placed first in the Steel Bridge competition however because they did not meet all the eligibility requirements, the third-place winner, Northeastern University now qualifies for the National Student Steel Bridge competition May 27–28 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA.
Université Laval (Quebec, Canada) placed first in the Concrete Canoe Competition, advancing to compete at the 35th Annual ASCE Society-wide Competitions June 3–5 at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.
The ASCE Concrete Canoe competition requires students to collaborate as teams and use engineering skills to design and construct a seaworthy canoe made entirely of concrete. Each team must compete in multiple categories: Technical Proposal, Technical Presentation, Enhanced Focus Area, Final Product, and several racing events, for a chance to move on to the finals where the winner will compete against 23 other teams from schools around the globe.
“Congratulations to all the students who participated in the ASCE Northeast Student Symposia competitions,” said Dennis D. Truax, President of ASCE. “Students exemplified key attributes to success in the civil engineering field throughout the competitions: civil engineering knowledge, ingenuity, and teamwork. The Society is proud to recognize the work these students have put in throughout the school year.”
In its 35th year, the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition, the student symposium’s flagship event, challenges civil engineering students to apply the engineering principles learned in the classroom to a real-world task, while utilizing project management and team building skills. The Concrete Canoe program consists of both athletic and academic events. The competition is designed to test the knowledge, creativity and stamina of each team. Over the course of the school year, teams plan, research, and construct a canoe out of concrete. The competition evaluates teams on design and construction, a technical proposal, an enhanced focus area, a formal business presentation, and five different races—men’s and women’s slalom races, men’s and women’s sprint races and a co-ed sprint race.
The Society-wide Concrete Canoe Competition+ is organized by ASCE and hosted annually by a university student chapter, thanks in part to funds provided by the ASCE Foundation.
The following schools participated in the symposium:
- University of Connecticut
- Norwich University
- Northeastern University
- Tufts University
- University of Maine
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- University of Massachusetts, Lowell
- University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Western New England University
- Merrimack College
- Université Laval (Quebec, Canada)
- University of Vermont
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.