Sinking will not be an option for the UH chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. After a six-month period of researching, designing and testing – not to mention the 325 hours of manual labor – the students will finally test their canoe in bigger waters as they face 21 universities in a three-day National Concrete Canoe Competition starting June 14 in Seattle.
UH, the only Texas school participating in the competition, is looking to make a splash with their 264-pound concrete canoe against New Mexico State Univeristy, the University of Oklahoma and Western Kentucky University among other universities from across the United States.
"This the first time in 13 years that we’re going to a national competition," President of the UH ASCE and recent civil engineering graduate Larissa da Costa said.
On April 13 the group placed first in the Texas-Mexico Regional Concrete Canoe Competition, which allowed them to advance to the national competition in Seattle.
The national competition consists of five races, which include two endurance in the 600 meters, two sprint in the 200 meters and one coed sprint race of 200 meters.
A main goal of the ASCE is to encourage students to apply principles from class to the design of the canoe.
As concrete technology has been expanding, concrete companies have continued to fund regional, state and international concrete canoe competitions.
During day one of the competition the students will present their design to the judges, outlining the structure of the canoe.
Although constructing the canoe can be a tedious process, the group was able to master building the boat in six hours.
Vanessa Aririguzo, a civil engineering senior and secretary of the ASCE said that the construction and layout for the boat can be an extensive process.
"The first one took a lot longer to build, because it was our first one," Aririguzo said.
Da Costa said that construction of the canoe can be a laborious process.
"We start off with the rib section, and with Styrofoam to create our spacing," she said.
After the initial steps, members then used a layer of sheet rock, two wire cables to hold the canoe together, and a second dyed layer of concrete, which they then sent off to get a smooth and shiny look.
"It takes six hours to build this, and you have to do this in one day, because the concrete can dry up," da Costa said.
The second day members will have a five-minute presentation, followed by a seven-minute questionnaire from a panel of judges. On the final day of the competition there will be the endurance race of 600 meters.
Participants will also be judged based on how long their canoes float during competition. Members of the UH ASCE prepared by paddling their canoe down Buffalo Bayou. The students utilized two boats, the "Red Patch" for practice, and the "Streaming Buffalo," which is strictly for competitions.
In order to qualify for the international competition in the Netherlands, the students must place first by garnering enough points during the presentation and in all five events.
Civil engineering senior Wade Barnes is optimistic the team can go a long way in their quest to take on nationals and beyond.
"We want to win, and go on to the international competition," Barnes said.
Aririguzo couldn’t mask her enthusiasm for the team’s success.
"Excited isn’t even the word for it," she said.
