Students at and participating during the 2012 ASCE Student Conference concrete canoe races at Lake Bradford in 2012. (Courtesy M Rambo-Roddenberry)
Over 400 civil engineering students and faculty from 17 universities are heading to Tallahassee for the 2022 ASCE Southeast Student Symposium, an annual event of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Participants from Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico will show their stuff at the event hosted by the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
“We are so excited to be able to host this event at the college. It’s been three years since civil engineering students have been able to get together in an event of this magnitude,” said Lisa Spainhour, professor and chair of the college’s civil and environmental engineering department. “They will have so much fun putting their engineering skills to the test in a friendly, competitive atmosphere.”
More than eighty engineers and supporters will judge 18 competitions, including the iconic Concrete Canoe Competition. In the early 1970s, the ASCE student chapters competed in the design, construction and racing of concrete canoes. The long-established tradition of teamwork continues with new canoe mixtures and creative designs each year.
Some highlights of this year include two pilot events, the Timber-Strong Design BuildSM Competition in which students design and build a creative two-story wood tiny house, and the ASCE Construction Institute Student Competition.
“We are looking forward to welcoming students, faculty and supporters to our college,” said Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry, associate dean for academic and student affairs for the college. “Seeing their excitement will make it all worthwhile. Bringing this to fruition has taken several months of planning, tons of support from alumni volunteers, several company sponsors, help from engineers from the southeast and other parts of the country, as well as from our own FAMU-FSU Engineering students, faculty and staff.”
Other events include the Professional Paper, Sustainable Solutions, and Surveying Competitions, as well as ASCE Innovation Contest.
Friday, March 25, there will be activities at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, including:
- Concrete Canoe displays and technical paper presentations
- Concrete Table Tennis
- Timber-Strong Design Build (tiny house competition)
- Professional Paper presentations
- Lab Activities
- Muddy Waters (water filtration)
- Toil in the Soil (soil testing)
- Balsa Tower testing
- Rush to Crush (concrete cylinder mixing and testing)
Saturday, March 26, the Seminole Reservation
- Concrete canoe races
- Several “School Spirit” competitions that are both technical and fun in nature
If you go:
Southeast ASCE Student Symposium
March 24-26
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering / The Rez
Get more information at the organization website