UA Hosts American Society of Civil Engineers Regional Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –The University of Alabama will host the American Society of Civil Engineers Southeast conference on April 8-9. The Southeast regional conference is the largest ASCE conference in the nation.

A team of 12 UA students has been planning the competitions, events and awards banquet for 700 students from across the Southeast. Twenty-six schools from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Puerto Rico will attend the conference, which is themed “Astounding Southern Class and Excellence.”

Numerous competitions will take place during the two-day event. All competitions are open to the public. Competitions include:

• Steel Bridge: Each team has 30 minutes to construct their bridge. After construction, the strength of the bridge is tested by placing weights on it. This event will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in front of H.M. Comer Hall.
• Concrete Canoe: Each school constructs a canoe made of concrete that is 20-24 feet long. This competition will be held at Lake Lurleen from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. Races include heats of two men, two women, and four-person teams.
• Concrete Canoe Display and Swamp Test: Each team’s canoe will be on display outside of Shelby Hall beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 8. Each team will also have to pass the swamp test to qualify for Saturday’s concrete canoe competition. The swamp test will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in front of Shelby Hall.
• Balsa Tower: Each team competes to design and build a tower made of balsa wood that can withstand the largest load. This event will begin at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in the Structures Lab, Room 168 in H.M. Comer Hall.
• Concrete Cylinder: Each team builds a cylinder that will be scored solely on its ultimate strength. This event will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 8, in the Concrete Lab, Room 171 in H.M. Comer Hall.
• Concrete Horseshoes: Each team creates their own horseshoes and competes against other schools according to specified rules. The concrete horseshoes competition will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the Lake Lurleen beach.
• Environmental: Teams design a device to treat contaminated water with limited resources. This competition will take place at 1 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the President’s Pavilion.
• Geotechnical: Students will be exposed to geotechnical engineering design and construction. The competition rewards minimum materials and construction time (lower cost) and maximum performance (larger load). The geotechnical competition will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the Lake Lurleen pavilion.
• Plan Reading: Each team will be given a set of plans from an actual local project. They will be asked to complete a series of questions within a limited amount of time. This competition begins at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, April 8, at Shelby Hall in Room 150.
• Surveying: Each team will be required to start at a given benchmark and follow through a differential leveling course taking them across UA’s campus using relevant surveying practices. The fastest and most accurate team will win through a points system. This event is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 8, at the Quad.
• Visual Display: Students display the importance of diversity in civil engineering and society through a static visual display. Judging for this event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 8, in the foyer area of Shelby Hall.

First place in the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions will qualify to compete at the National ASCE Conference later this year.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.