Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

CNAS Blog

College of Natural & Applied Sciences Weblog

Concrete Canoe

Making a concrete canoe

Students in the cooperative engineering program recently participated in a contest that required them to design, build and race a canoe made from concrete.

July 5, 2016 by Lucie Amberg

Science and technology are all about making the “impossible” reality, and students in the cooperative engineering program did just that when they transformed concrete into a functioning canoe.

The group represented their program in the American Society of Civil Engineers concrete canoe competition. This annual, months-long competition requires a team of students to design, build and race a canoe made from concrete. The teams also compete academically — explaining and defending their design choices in written and oral presentations.

The exact rules and requirements vary each year; for example, this year teams were forbidden from enhancing the canoe’s appearance and water resistance by applying exterior paint. But the big goal of the competition remains the same: you’ve got to figure out how to make concrete float.

Crowdfunded

To fuel their success, the concrete canoe team not only leveraged their talent and training, they also relied on support from the community. The team set up a page on Missouri State’s crowdfunding site, where visitors can donate money to Missouri State student activities and projects.

The concrete canoe team raised a little over $1,500. While that’s not much in comparison to a professional engineering budget, it was all the team needed to place third out of 16 schools in the regional contest. And as these students prepare for their profession, they already know how to make the “impossible” reality — and under budget.

Filed Under: Students Tagged With: accomplishment, concrete canoe, contest, engineering, Students, video

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • CNAS NEWS – July 5, 2022
  • CNAS NEWS – June 27, 2022
  • CNAS NEWS – June 21, 2022
  • CNAS NEWS – June 13, 2022
  • CNAS NEWS – June 6, 2022

Categories

  • 2013 Posts
  • 2014 Posts
  • 2015 Posts
  • cnas
  • College of Natural and Applied Sciences
  • Faculty/Staff
  • hospitality
  • IDF
  • science
  • STEM
  • Students
  • Uncategorized
  • Upcoming Events
  • URD
July 2016
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jun   Aug »

Links

  • CNAS Calendar
  • CNAS NewsWatch
  • College of Natural & Applied Sciences
  • Missouri State University

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Tags

abstracts accomplishment alumni awards cafe calendar career expo cnas CNAS Media College of Natural and Applied Sciences committee conference contest deadlines discovery center diversity due dates engineering event exhibit faculty grants hospitality judges lecture NASA newsletter orientation picnic presentation regalia research science screen seminar SOAR solar eclipse staff STEM student expo Students study groups sustainability training volunteers
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: July 13, 2016
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © 2013 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information