NEWS

Louisiana Tech University’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student organization won second place at the 2022 Gulf Coast Student Symposium after finishing in first place in 12 competitions. The team also placed second in a competition and third in two others.

The team, which will host the 35th Annual ASCE Concrete Canoe Society-wide Final Competition on Louisiana Tech’s campus and at Hoogland Lake this summer, won first-place in the Steel Bridge Aesthetics, Community Service, Sustainable Solutions, Geotechnical, Concrete Canoe Women’s Slalom Race, Concrete Canoe Women’s Sprint Race, Concrete Canoe Men’s Slalom Race, Concrete Canoe Men’s Sprint Race, Concrete Canoe CO-ED Sprint Race, Overall Concrete Canoe Race, Final Product Prototype Concrete Canoe Competition, and Overall Concrete Canoe Competition.

The team earned a second-place win in the Tug O’War Competition, and third-place wins in the Transportation Competition and the Concrete Canoe Technical Presentation.

Thirty Louisiana Tech students and ASCE faculty advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Matthews, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Technology, traveled to Auburn, Alabama, where the team competed in 14 of 19 events.

To prepare, Louisiana Tech participants worked in teams to complete tasks outlined in the regional rules all year, beginning in the fall, while organization officers spent the month leading up to the event coordinating travel, lodging, and logistics.

“Being president this year and an active member of the concrete canoe team, I have been able to see all of the hard work that students put into these different projects outside of school hours,” said Mallory Mankins, Louisiana Tech ASCE president and Civil Engineering senior from Zachary. “Most of our groups have been working on their particular designs since the beginning of the school year and have used the knowledge that they have gained from classes taken at Tech. As for the canoe team, we had mix design practices once a week starting in September to finalize our concrete and were also practicing on the weekend by using previous years’ canoes. Once we got back from Christmas break, the team started practicing two to three times a week to ensure that the team was ready to compete. As was shown from the results of the symposium, all of our hard work paid off in the long run when the canoe team swept the race category and several others.”

Matthews added she is proud of their effort.

“I am extremely proud of this team of students,” Matthews said. “They have worked hard all year to prepare for regionals. Although we were automatically eligible to compete at the society-wide concrete canoe final as hosts of the competition in June, the team still wanted to win regionals to earn their spot. Not only did they earn their spot in concrete canoe, they won first place in the sustainable solutions competition for the second year in a row. It was even more exciting to see them win in events that we have never competed in until this year. This competition will always be special for me since it is the first in-person competition since I took over as faculty advisor. I look forward to cheering on our team in June and at all future competitions. Go Dogs!”

College of Engineering and Science Dean Dr. Hisham Hegab says that he’s impressed with the team’s tenacity and work ethic.

“Dr. Matthews and this team have worked hard to prepare for the regional competition while simultaneously working out planning logistics to host the society-wide finals. I’m thrilled that their dedication has paid off in such a rewarding way. I look forward to seeing them compete this summer. Go Bulldogs!”

The finals will be held June 3-5. Learn more at the competition website.