Civil engineering students compete and host annual conference

ANGOLA, Ind. – Civil engineering students representing 18 engineering schools from Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin will compete at Trine University on April 18-20 during the American Society of Civil Engineers Great Lakes Region Student Conference.

The three-day event includes:

Technical paper competition, the 2013 Daniel W. Mead Student Contest – Established in 1939 in honor of the 67th president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the contest provides an opportunity for young civil engineer s to further their professional development and gain national attention.

Concrete canoe competition – The competition provides students with a practical application of the engineering principles learned in the classroom, along with team and project management skills. The event challenges the students' knowledge, creativity and stamina, while showcasing the versatility and durability of concrete as a building material.

Steel bridge competition – The mission of the competition is to supplement the education of civil engineering students with a comprehensive, student-driven project experience from conception and design through fabrication, erection and testing, culminating in a steel structure that meets client specifications and optimizes performance and economy.

Concrete cylinder competition – Students will focus on cost and efficiency while producing a concrete cylinder. As part of the competition, teams also provide a written report to explain the design and production process.

Geotechnical engineering competition – The objective is to design and build a small-scale reinforced earth retaining wall using paper reinforcement taped to a poster paper wall facing.

Quiz bowl competition – The contest will test students' general knowledge in several categories.

Environmental competition – Students will tackle a hypothetical environmental issue by designing and building a bench scale apparatus – in this case a water filter – and writing a report to explain how the environmental situation is addressed.

In addition to Trine, the Great Lakes Region includes Notre Dame University, Northwestern University, University of Evansville, University of Illinois at Chicago, Marquette University, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Purdue University-Calumet, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,  University of Southern Indiana, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Bradley University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Valparaiso University and Illinois Tech.

Each spring, 18 ASCE Student Conferences are hosted by ASCE student organizations around the country. Most conferences typically include a business meeting, professional/technical presentations, competitions, social activities and an awards banquet.

For more information about the student conference at Trine, visit www.trine.edu/glc2013 or send an email to murphyt@trine.edu.