Buoyant with Success : Cal Poly Consistently Floats to Top of National Concrete Canoe Competition
For the third consecutive year, Cal Poly won gold at the National Concrete Canoe Competition, considered the America's Cup of Civil Engineering.
Sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE), the annual event challenges students' knowledge, creativity and stamina.
The competition was broken into four categories: final product, design paper, technical presentation and races. This year, Cal Poly placed first in three categories and third in technical presentation.
“We put in 5,250 hours on the development of Prospector,” said Erik Bjornstrom, project manager. “We applied innovative and sustainable practices to every aspect of its construction. That included testing 160 different concrete mixes, eliminating a layer of reinforcement and incorporating more sustainable materials.”
For the first time in several years, the rules allowed teams to develop their own custom hull design. “The extra task challenged our already tight schedule,” said Bjornstrom, “but we worked hard and stayed organized.”
“When all is said and done," said Gavin Miller, a construction captain, “our biggest edge is the level of support we receive from alumni, sponsors, faculty and previous captains. The transfer of knowledge from one team to another is one of this team's greatest assets.”
The Cal Poly Concrete Canoe team is just one of numerous engineering student project teams that compete in – and consistently win – national competitions. What’s the winning formula??
Outstanding, engaged students; dedicated faculty; and Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy that emphasizes hands-on, in-class and co-curricular projects, like figuring out how to make concrete float.
If you’d like to see a list of other winning Cal Poly Engineering teams, visit Highlights.
For more on the 2012 National Concrete Canoe Competition, see ASCE. http://www.asce.org/concretecanoe/
San Luis Obispo, California 93407