UA Engineering Students to Compete in Concrete Canoe Event

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A team of University of Alabama engineering students will return to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Southeast Conference Concrete Canoe Competition March 27-29.

Approximately 20 teams will participate in this year’s competition, hosted at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.

The students began constructing the canoe in September, using wooden plates and spackle plaster to create the mold. Next, the team poured concrete, rolling it into squares, one-fourth inch thick, to place atop the mold. The squares were followed up by a layer of reinforcement and another layer of concrete.

Next the concrete was placed in water for 28 days, allowing it to harden.

In addition to racing their canoe, the team’s score will also depend on a written technical paper explaining their construction process, an oral presentation at the competition and a visual display.

At the competition, team members will compete in five races: a men’s sprint, a men’s endurance test, women’s sprint, women’s endurance test and a co-ed sprint.

For each sprint, two members from each team must race their canoe along a 100 meter track, complete a 180 degree turn and return back. Co-ed sprints require a 400 meter race with three 180 degree turns, and endurance tests require members to race 400 meters through a series of winding loops.

Members of the team include:

• Logan Bells, a senior in civil engineering from Madison
• Renford Brevett, a senior in civil engineering from New Castle, Del.
• Justin Campbell, a senior in civil engineering from Collierville, Tenn.
• Joshua Cook, a freshman in civil engineering from Carbon Hill
• Bobby Easley, a senior in civil engineering from Gardendale
• Owen Killeen, a senior in civil engineering from Preston, Conn.
• Nathan Klenke, a senior in civil engineering from Lebanon, Ohio.
• Jennifer Lester, a senior in civil engineering from Overland Park, Kan.
• Wade D. McLendon, a senior in civil engineering from Troy
• Austin Mills, a senior in civil engineering from Atlanta, Ga
• James New, a junior in civil engineering from Hockessin, Del.
• Nathan Nabors, a senior in civil engineering from Fayette
• Nick Ostrye, a junior in civil engineering from Montgomery
• Grace Phillips, a senior in civil engineering from Auburn
• Carrie Pope, a senior in civil engineering from Linden
• Brittany Shake, a senior in civil engineering from Double Oak, Texas
• Jenna Simandi, a senior in civil engineering from Camp Dennison, Ohio
• Amanda Solt, a freshman in civil engineering from Tamaqua, Pa.
• Katie Zamara, a senior in civil engineering from Orlando, Fla.

The American Society of Civil Engineers was founded in 1852 and is the oldest American national engineering society.

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 4,500 students and more than 120 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater, Hollings, Portz, Mitchell and Truman scholars.