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.