Cadets prove concrete can float at CE competition

  • Published
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Air Force Academy cadets made concrete float April 11 when they raced a concrete canoe on Cochiti Lake, N.M. during the 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers Rocky Mountain Student Conference.

Hosted by the University of New Mexico, the ASCE regional conference gathered nearly 400 students, cadets and faculty members from 16 different schools in a competition to enhance their civil engineering skills, April 9-11.

"We placed sixth out of 16 schools, an improvement over last year's seventh place finish," said Lt. Col. Christopher Senseney, an assistant professor at the Academy's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and the cadet's concrete canoe team faculty advisor. "The final results include open water race times and judges' scores on aesthetics, a paper and an oral presentation."

According to the ASCE website, the competition provides civil engineering students an opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience and leadership skills by working with concrete mix designs and project management.

The history of concrete canoe in the U.S began in 1960s, when a few ASCE student chapters began holding intramural races, according to the organization's website. The first national concrete canoe competition was held in 1988. The Academy first competed in a regional concrete canoe race in 1981.

"The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is extremely proud of the hard work and long hours that this year's cadets put into preparing for the competition," Senseney said.