Universities in New York and Canada to compete in civil engineering design and construction competitions in Buffalo, N.Y.
Regional competition winners advance to compete in the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships in June at University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Reston, Va. – The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2023 Upstate New York - Canada Student Symposium was hosted by the University at Buffalo April 20 – April 22, 2023, in Buffalo, NY. At the event, more than 200 civil engineering students from 10 universities in New York and Canada put their academic and project management knowledge to the test, participating in annual Society-wide competitions including the ASCE Concrete Canoe, the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction)/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition. University at Buffalo will advance to the Society-wide finals for the Concrete Canoe competition, ASCE’s flagship student event, where students compete to construct a canoe made entirely out concrete that is capable of floating and racing.
University of Buffalo also won the Steel Bridge Competition, which requires students to develop a concept for a scale-model steel bridge spanning 20 feet and carrying at least 2,500 pounds. The team has qualified to compete at the Society-wide finals as part of the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships June 10-12 at University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, WI.
These teams have qualified to compete at the Society-wide finals as part of the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships June 10-12 at University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, WI.
"We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the Upstate New York and Canada ASCE Student Symposia competitions," said Maria Lehman, P.E., President of ASCE. "Through their hard work and dedication, they have honed their teamwork and critical thinking skills, which will undoubtedly help them excel in their careers as civil engineers. We wish them every success at the upcoming Society-wide competitions."
The first ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition was held in 1988, but the history of Concrete Canoe goes back to the 1960s, when a small number of ASCE Student Chapters began holding intramural concrete canoe races. The competition requires students to construct a seaworthy canoe made entirely of concrete. The competition 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, designed to test the knowledge, creativity and stamina of each team. 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 ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships 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 were represented at the ASCE Upstate New York – Canada Symposium:
- Clarkson University
- Concordia University
- Cornell University
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- SUNY College of Technology at Canton
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Syracuse University
- United States Military Academy
- University at Buffalo
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.