ND Engineering Students Enter Concrete Canoe Competition after Extended Absence

During the 1970s Notre Dame actively participated in the concrete canoe competition sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Master Builders, Baker Concrete Construction, Cemex, U.S. Silica, Marsh, GeoServices, Clark-Nexsen Architecture & Engineering, and RBF Consulting. Somewhere in the 1980s the program sank from view. One team entered the competition in the mid 1990s, but it wasn’t until the 2004 competition that another Notre Dame Team jumped head first into competition after a long absence. Juniors Joe Payne, Joe Pomerenke, Elizabeth Arnoldy, Danny Halley, Brian Tracy, and Kevin Haas built and raced the Notre Dame entry. Aptly named Floatin’ on a Prayer, the team participated at the 2004 Great Lakes ASCE Regional Competition in Milwaukee, Wis., held April 29 – May 2. The 17th annual national competition was held June 17 – 20 in Washington, D.C.

Although they did not win or place, team members came away with the Spirit Award. According to faculty adviser Wilasa Vichit-Vadakan, the Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, “The team worked relentlessly to be competitive in the races and spent a tremendous amount of time learning from and connecting with other teams.”

The concrete canoe competition provides an opportunity for students to participate in an intercollegiate competition that focuses on engineering design. Students gain hands-on, practical experience in all aspects of project management, including the design and structure of materials, from concept to final design within one academic year. They learn more about concrete technology while developing leadership skills.

More than 20 students participated in some form in the design, construction, and competition of Floatin’ on a Prayer. And, all of the team members are planning to return to the competition next year.

To learn more about Notre Dame’s Concrete Canoe Team,
visit http://www.nd.edu/~canoe.

Copyright 2004. University of Notre Dame.