This year’s ASCE students traveled to Tuscaloosa on March 10-12 to compete in the ASCE Student Conference of SEC schools and were celebrated back on campus with an impressive second place overall finish out of 26 schools. The conference’s biggest competitions are the concrete canoe and steel bridge, which each took the better part of seven months to plan and build. The last time the UT ASCE chapter placed in the top three was in 2012.
The ASCE student chapter faculty advisor, Dr. John Ma, says that the team made him very proud. “Thanks go to Liam’s leadership,” he said of Liam Weaver, ASCE student chapter president who helped motivate the 40 students.
“A victory like the one we achieved in Tuscaloosa is unachievable without teamwork,” said Weaver. “The dedication, perseverance, leadership, and just downright immaculate positivity that I saw among every single team are signs of true success. That’s what I think ASCE is about. It’s about instilling something special in the future leaders of tomorrow, about realizing there’s camaraderie of people that care just as much as you do about working conscientiously to make a difference in the world.”
The team was proud of the results in all of the categories of competition:
- 1st place Balsa Bridge
- 1st place Fiber-Reinforced Beam
- 1st place Professional Paper
- 1st place Steel Bridge Display
- 2nd place Concrete Cornhole
- 5th place Concrete Canoe
- 3rd place Concrete Canoe Coed Race
Judging for the concrete canoe was based on display, design, oral presentation, and races, of which there are five categories. The steel bridge was judged on weight, structural integrity, construction speed and display. The steel bridge team’s strong finish allowed them to qualify for the 2016 National Student Steel Bridge Competition sponsored by ASCE and the American Institute for Steel Construction. A team of six CEE students will travel to Brigham Young University in May to compete in the national event.
“Having the opportunity to go to Tuscaloosa to watch our students compete has been a highlight of my first year as department head,” said Professor Chris Cox. “The depth of leadership in the chapter is truly impressive. Our students handled everything from planning the trip logistics to the bus roll calls, in addition to all of the preparation for their events. I was especially proud of their incredible support of one another, school spirit, and sportsmanship. Their second place overall finish was just icing on the cake.”