ENGINEERING COMPETITION Concrete canoe provides challenge
YSU team will try to float boat at this year's contest.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Civil engineering students at Youngstown State University challenged for the top spot last year in a regional competition to see who could build the best 150-pound floating concrete canoe.
Unfortunately, the canoe fell during the competition and was destroyed. Even so, the YSU team finished fifth out of nine schools.
This year, the team vows to do better.
On the positive side, the same YSU team that built the canoe finished first at last year's regional competition in the construction of a bridge that is more than 20 feet long and can hold 2,500 pounds. The regional contest consists of students from nine universities in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Last year's bridge team also finished 11th out of 250 entries at the national competition.
Testing the waters
The 13-member team conducted final tests on this year's canoe and steel bridge structure Wednesday. Competition at the regional competition begins today and finishes Sunday at the University of Cincinnati.
The canoe is made of light-weight concrete and floated while full of water during a test at YSU's Moser Hall.
The students design the canoe and the bridge, and give an oral presentation about its construction, said Adam Depizzo, a graduate student and the manager of the projects.
The bridge is in pieces and must be put together at the competition, he said.
Applying knowledge
Ryan Murphy, a YSU junior, said he joined the team this year to apply what he learns in his civil-engineering classes.
"Concrete doesn't usually float," he said. "We're doing something out of the ordinary."
Wendy McCoy, a senior, said she also wanted to put her civil-engineering knowledge to use.
"I wanted to be involved in something besides the classroom," she said. "You're applying what you've learned and doing something with it."
The canoe broke last year because just two people were holding it at the time, Depizzo said.
"We're going to have a couple more people hold it this time around," Depizzo said.
During a water test, six members held the canoe. Even so, McCoy lost her footing and fell Wednesday, causing a small scratch to the canoe.
skolnick@vindy.com