Clash of the Concrete Titans – UA Competes in the 2010 National Concrete Canoe Competition

Note to editors: UA’s concrete canoe team will leave for California early morning on June 14.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a test of think or swim, a group of University of Alabama civil engineering students will use “concrete” determination to keep their dreams afloat. And, while most people would never dream of making a canoe out of concrete, let alone racing it, these extraordinary students are up for the challenge. As they chase the “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering,” hundreds of civil engineering students will trek to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., June 17-19, for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ National Concrete Canoe Competition.

Throughout the year, UA’s team of civil engineering students logged thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their concrete canoes in search of the winning combination of creativity, knowledge and teamwork. The best and brightest from 25 top engineering schools will match wits and skills in four categories—the aesthetics and structural integrity of their canoe; a technical design paper highlighting their planning, development, testing and construction; an academic presentation covering their canoe’s design, construction, racing ability and other innovative features; and the performance of the canoe and its paddlers in five different races. The canoe races include men’s and women’s slalom/endurance races and men’s, women’s and co-ed sprint races. Performance in each of the four categories accounts for 25 percent of a team’s total score.

The competition will kick off Thursday, June 17, as the teams’ canoes are weighed, measured and judged for aesthetics. The teams will also “swamp” their canoes in a tank of water to test their flotation ability.

Then, Friday, June 18, the teams will deliver and defend their academic presentations, including outlines of the design, cost and construction of their canoe, in front of a panel of professional civil engineers.

Finally, on Saturday, June 19, the students will gather for the canoe races, including endurance, preliminary sprints and sprint finals. The event will conclude with a banquet, where the winners will be announced and the competition awards distributed.

The National Concrete Canoe Competition is organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and over 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.