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| Jason Wolf, Michael Thompson and Adam Wilson load the canoe entry into its trailer. |
Cal Poly Pomona's concrete canoe team finished eighth out of 22 at the 2007 ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition on June 14-16 in Seattle.
“This is a great showing at the national level, and we are all very proud of our team,” says Donald Coduto, professor and chair of the Civil Engineering department.
The Cal Poly Pomona American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Team earned a spot in the prestigious contest after finishing second in the Pacific Southwest Regional in April.
The top three teams at the national competition are University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Florida and University of Nevada, Reno. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo came in fifth place.
Each spring, engineering students compete in the challenging event. The competition allows participants to demonstrate their creativity and engineering skills.
Separated into four components, the competition includes an oral presentation, design paper, product evaluation and canoe race. Constructing the canoe is only half the battle for participants. In addition, each entry is evaluated based on its design, speed, floating ability and overall performance.
“The concrete canoe competition is the most demanding and intense event at the ASCE regional conference,” said Michael Thompson, Cal Poly Pomona concrete canoe team co-captain. “Success in the competition takes dedication, team work and determination.”
More than 200 teams nationwide vie for a spot in the annual event, with only the top contenders in each conference qualifying for nationals.
In 2005, the Cal Poly Pomona team won the regional competition for the second year in a row and placed in the national competition. Once there, the team earned their highest ranking at the national level after finishing eighth.
To be competitive, this year the 10-member team made a year-long commitment to the hands-on project.
For more details about the competition, visit https://content.asce.org/inside/nccc2007/WinnersRelease.html.