Our Crowdfunding Groups
Concrete Canoe is a design competition which challenges civil engineers to exercise several skills, both technical and soft, that they learn in class, including: materials, structural analysis, project scheduling and management, writing, presentation skills, and several more. The ultimate goal is simple: build a racing canoe out of concrete that is structurally sound and as fast as possible while getting the students involved in a fun, but competitive avenue to exercise the skills and knowledge they've developed in class.
The overall competition is judged in four categories: races, design paper, oral presentations, and final product.
Our paddlers making the turn in the Texas-Mexico region co-ed race.
The Canoe team spends the entire year preparing for the main event of the competition: the five races - three sprint, and two endurance. They showcase who has the lightest, fastest canoe and the most athletic paddlers, and demonstrate the competitive spirit each team brings to the competition. Teams go toe to toe in the water in both sprint and endurance events, which makes for an exciting capstone for the whole event.
The Design paper sums up your entire project. Everything from scheduling, to your mix, and construction process are explained in detail, developing the communication and technical skills of those involved.
A five minute presentation of your project structure, canoe design, and topics in your design paper is given in a professional manner. Afterward, the judges put the presenters under pressure with a seven minute question and answer section which tests the team's technical knowledge, ability to think under pressure, and insight into the important aspects of their own project.
Our 2016 canoe in progress. Red dust from sanding covered the shop.
The final product is focused around the quality of the canoe itself: its finish, apparent integrity, quality control, and adherence to regulations. Also considered in the final product are the associated display materials: the stands which hold the canoe, the display table which shows off information about your mix and your canoe, and the cutaway section, which gives a glimpse into its construction. Designing and building the display is both an exercise in both technical skill and creativity, with canoe teams choosing a theme around which they design and decorate their display.
The 2016 Captains with their awards at the Texas-Mexico region.
Last year, the UT Concrete Canoe team won the Texas-Mexico regional competition and advance to the nationals, a feat that would not be possible if we did not use every dollar, material, or piece of technical knowledge given to us. The costs of being competitive at the regional and national competition add up between concrete mix testing, canoe mold construction, paddler training, display construction, canoe construction, and travel and registration expenses. This is why we are grateful for any form of help or donation you have to offer – every contribution helps us fund a vital part of what makes our product great and competitive. We would like to return to nationals, but only the top spot at the regional competition goes to nationals!
Feel free to ask any questions at utexasconcretecanoe@gmail.com!
The Steel Bridge team putting together the bridge at competition.
The Steel Bridge competition, made possible by AISC and ASCE, is a nationwide competition in which over 200 of the top engineering schools vie for the title of being the ultimate Steel Bridge champions. With the knowledge and skills learned in several civil engineering courses, students are faced with the challenge of analyzing, designing, and constructing a steel bridge in five months that is not only capable of supporting 2500 pounds, but is also aesthetically pleasing.
A member of steel bridge fabricating a piece of the bridge.
The team's bridges are judged on their speed of construction and then put through a load test to measure its levels of vertical and lateral deflections. Only the top three teams with the quickest, lightest, and stiffest bridges earn a spot in the national competition.
A group photo of the 2016 Steel Bridge team.
Our team is mostly composed of highly driven and competitive undergraduate civil engineering majors interested in pursuing a career in structural engineering. Several architectural engineering majors and graduate students become heavily involved as well, and anyone interested in trying their hand at Steel Bridge is welcome!
With a large portion of last year's team returning, along with new, motivated recruits, we are expecting to continue a tradition of excellence that is a huge part of UT-Austin's success. Our Captains are looking forward to building a strong team to achieve a well-designed bridge that will advance us to the national competition in 2017!
Send your questions about Steel Bridge to steelbridgeut@gmail.com!
A gift at this level provides for the purchasing of assorted raw materials for construction such as 2x4's or welding flux.
Donating at this level helps the teams with key design or practice sessions. For example this allows the concrete canoe team rent enough canoes for a practice session.
Your gift will pay the registration fee for a paddler (or any member of the team) to come with us to competition!
A contribution at this level will cover the entry fee for the canoe or steel bridge team to register for competition!
At this level your contribution allows us to purchase the concrete materials for a full canoe, or buy several pieces of steel to put together the bridge.
This level shows a true dedication towards helping the teams achieve their goals. For Concrete Canoe, it would allow the team to purchase a new custom foam mold.
A gift at this level shows a desire to provide many of the necessary material resources for our teams to create the bridge and canoe. You truly are vital to the success of the project, as any PM is.
This kind of contribution covers our expected budget for the regional competitions. Your commitment to supporting the University of Texas ASCE chapter is one of a kind, showing you deserve a title as an honorary Team Captain.
