News

Teams of collegiate engineers from across Lawrence Technological University will bulid a 21-foot steel bridge inside Michigan State University's Breslin Center and racing a concrete canoe around Lansing’s Hawk Island Park during the American Society of Civil Engineers 2016 North Central Student Conference, April 7-9.

The conference hosts two intercollegiate design contests: the Steel Bridge Construction Competition and the Concrete Canoe Competition. Events are free and open to the public.

Events begin Thursday, April 7, with captain’s meetings at 6 p.m., an icebreaker at 6:30 p.m., and technical paper presentations from 7 to 9 p.m. in the MSU College of Engineering Room 3405.

Steel bridge competition: Friday, April 8, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Breslin Center, MSU, 534 Birch Road, East Lansing, MI 48823

Best time to view the competition: 8 a.m. to noon

The Student Steel Bridge Competition is a varsity-level challenge for competing ASCE civil engineering student teams. Students work for months to design, fabricate, and erect a 21-foot-long steel bridge. The requirements are strict -- to support 2,500 pounds with minimum sag. Bridges arrive at the competition sites in three-foot long pieces and must be assembled during the timed competition without stepping in an imaginary river.

Winning teams at MSU will represent the North Central Region in the national
competition at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, May 27-28. Read more on the 2016 National Student Steel Bridge Competition at: http://www.aisc.org/.

Concrete canoe competition: Saturday, April 9, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Hawk Island Park, 1601 E. Cavanaugh Road, Lansing, MI 48910

Best time to view the competition: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The regional contest is part of the National Concrete Canoe Competition provides students with a practical application of the engineering principles they learn in the classroom, along with team and project management skills they will need in their careers. The event challenges the students' knowledge, creativity and stamina, while showcasing the versatility and durability of concrete as a building material.

This year’s winners will represent the North Central Region at the national competition at the University of Texas at Tyler from June 9-11. Read more on the 2016 National Concrete Canoe Competition at: http://www.asce.org/

The national competitions are sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Assistant Professor Adam J. Lobbestael, PhD, is advisor to the LTU student chapter of the ASCE. The faculty advisor to the steel bridge team is Associate Professor Keith J. Kowalkowski, PhD, while the advisor to the canoe team is assistant professor Nishantha Bandara, PhD.