Universities in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington DC to compete in civil engineering design and construction competitions in Villanova, Pa.

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 Mid-Atlantic East Student Symposium was co-hosted by Temple University and Villanova University April 21 – April 23, 2023 in Villanova, Pa. At the event, more than 175 civil engineering students from nine universities in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania 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, and the ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition – Envisioning a New Downtown. Morgan State University won the Concrete Canoe competition, ASCE’s flagship student event, where students compete to construct a canoe made entirely out of concrete that is capable of floating and racing.

Johns Hopkins University will advance to the finals for the ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition, where students are tasked with using sustainable practices to transform a fictional area into a gathering place for a community. Lafayette College will be advancing in the AISC/ASCE 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.

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 Mid-Atlantic East ASCE Student Symposia competitions," said Maria Lehman, P.E., President of ASCE. "They have worked hard throughout their collegiate careers and in these competitions to demonstrate they have the leadership and critical thinking skills to be successful civil engineers. We wish them luck 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 Mid-Atlantic East Student Symposium:

  • Drexel University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Lafayette College
  • Lehigh University
  • Morgan State University
  • Swarthmore College
  • Temple University
  • University of Maryland
  • Villanova University

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.