Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is hosting the 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mid-Continent Student Conference from April 4-6. Approximately 330 civil engineering students and faculty from 15 Midwest universities will participate in the event.
“The many competitive activities provide numerous opportunities for the students to put into practice what they learn in the classroom,” said Brent Vaughn, laboratory specialist and lecturer in the SIUE School of Engineering, and faculty advisor to the student ASCE chapter. “They learn about time and cost management, and most importantly learn to work with team members to achieve goals. Many employers look for students who have demonstrated their skills and initiative with these projects.”
The conference begins on Thursday, April 4, with a steel bridge competition in the Morris University Center Meridian Ballroom. At the event, students erect the bridges in a timed event across a hypothetical river following a set of work site rules. Each bridge is then loaded with 2,500 pounds of steel, while key points on the bridge are carefully monitored for deflection.
On Friday, April 5, three events will include a technical paper competition, a geowall competition and a concrete bowling competition. The concrete canoes also will be displayed in the Engineering Building courtyard through noon, and formal presentations will be made in the Engineering Building auditorium in the afternoon. Following display judging, there will be a dunk test and a formal oral presentation.
The highlight of the conference is the concrete canoe races on Saturday, April 6, beginning at 9 a.m. at Cougar Lake Marina. Teams compete in various races with two, three or four paddlers The SIUE Concrete Canoe Team won last year’s competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The team placing first overall will be invited to the national competition.
“This conference gives civil engineering students excellent experience in project management, team building, and leadership,” said Evan Wilson, chair of the conference. “The competition teams enable us to develop professionally, personally and academically to become more capable engineers. We also get to work with our hands, along with our minds, to complete some truly unique projects.”
For more information, visit the conference website.