The value of competitions like this is that the students learn on-the-spot problem solving."
When Yamaris Rivera, a senior at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, began to plan the design of her concrete canoe, she had more than winning the American Society of Civil Engineers Southeast Conference on her mind.
"I had to think about how my boat was built," she said. "And also how my design would ship over the ocean."
Rivera is one of more than 40 students who traveled from Puerto Rico to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for the regional competition. She has been working to prepare for this year's competition since last year's ended with her team placing second.
This year, the team designed its own concrete, choosing to use foam and lightweight fibers instead of rocks and other heavier aggregates. They formed the mold for their boat by hand, and team members spent hours delicately placing the concrete inside the mold.
"It was so exciting," Rivera said. "We had to let it set for a week, and once we put it in the tank, it floated on the first time!"
The cement canoe design and race is just one component of the three-day competition, as participants from 40 schools spanning the Southeast also are competing in steel bridge building and a slew of other smaller competitions.
Six students from Vanderbilt University built an 18-foot-long steel bridge for the competition as a part of their senior project to graduate as civil engineers.
"This competition is a challenge of design and construction," said Lucas Marshall, a senior at Vanderbilt who graduated from McCallie. "The judges are very stringent on everything."
The team had 45 minutes on Friday to build a bridge that is about 18 feet long, that will not move more than an inch when 50 pounds of force are pressed against it and that must be able to hold 2,500 pounds of weight.
Each member of Vanderbilt's team knew their role during construction. Wearing hardhats and canvas tool belts, the students rushed to screw in supports and make adjustments to the large pieces of steel the team welded and cut themselves. Judges watched everything the team did, making sure they followed all 30 pagesof rules.
The team's mentor, Rich Teising, said he was up working with the students until 3 a.m. Thursday making final adjustments to the structure before driving to Chattanooga that afternoon.
"The value of competitions like this is that the students learn on-the-spot problem solving," he said. "They really have to think outside of the box."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.