Concrete canoes hold water
Brains and brawn united at the 22nd annual National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC) in Tuscaloosa, AL, on June 11–13. Student teams from over 20 engineering schools participated in the competition by designing, constructing, and then racing their remarkable concrete canoes in what has been termed “America’s Cup of civil engineering.”
The NCCC, founded by the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), presents a unique challenge to students by pushing them to use the engineering principles they learn in the classroom to complete an unorthodox task. The competition tests both their mental and physical abilities—as they are required to not only create their canoes, but power them with their own strength as well. Students involved with the competition witness classroom theory become practical application, while also gaining important team and project management skills to help them along in their future careers.
The team from the University of California, Berkeley, won first place with their 230-lb, 20-ft-long canoe, nicknamed the “Bear Area.” Sealing their first championship since 1992, this year’s win will be their fifth title in the history of the competition. In a news article from redOrbit.com, Cal team member Danielle Des Champs expressed her enthusiasm over the victory. Des Champs exclaimed, “hearing that we won was the best moment of my life. We spent over 6,000 hours on this project, (and) improved this year in every category but one, in which we did the same as last year…. We were definitely up against the most amazing canoes and teams I’ve ever seen.”
The competitive nature of the event pushes the students to put forward their best efforts in order to build the most efficient canoe possible. Des Champs noted that the will to win allows the students to overcome the difficulties of concrete design, remarking that “when you see everyone racing, you sometimes forget that these are all about 200-lb canoes, which sometimes crack in half or sink.” ASCE president D. Wayne Klotz of the high-spirited Berkeley team commented on the results of the program, stating that through the competition, “these outstanding civil engineering students have shown that technical skills combined with an innate sense of creativity can turn a seemingly impossible task into a reality.”
Although students enjoy the spirit of competition surrounding the event, the NCCC is much more than a mere race. It is rather an opportunity for students to test their problem-solving abilities in an exciting atmosphere that will hopefully secure their interest in the engineering field. The event showcases the students’ knowledge, creativity, and stamina as they succeed in proving the versatility and durability of concrete as a building material. In addition, academic scholarships totaling $9,000 are awarded to the winning teams’ undergraduate civil engineering program in an effort to enable colleges and universities to offer other engaging activities like the NCCC for their students.
