Spring Break
Concrete canoes, no really
Jeremy Barousse
Issue date: 4/27/06 Section: News
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Building a canoe out of concrete may seem counterintuitive, but for a group of civil engineers at San Jose State University, it is a test of skill.
SJSU students will get in the water on Sunday to compete in the Mid-Pacific Regional Competition at Lake Merritt in Berkeley.
The competition is an annual event with participation from civil engineering majors affiliated with their respective university's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Members of the society at SJSU had split off to form the Concrete Canoe Club and the Steel Bridge Project.
Each participating university is responsible for constructing a concrete canoe and steel bridge, which is then tested for durability and design against other universities.
The University of California at Berkeley, University of Nevada-Reno, Fresno State and Chico State University are a few of the schools competing in the event.
The Concrete Canoe Club has designed a 150 pound, 6.5 foot racing canoe called Leonidas, named after a famous Spartan warrior who held off an enemy army for four days against helpless odds.
"It's been a great adventure," said Kharlo Barcenas, the project's manager. "I learned a lot about management and how to work with other people on this project."
According to general manager Colette Buzzone, the Leonidas project was initially started in September of last year, but was wasn't designed until December due to a lack of funding.
The club was then given $3,000 in financial support from Associated Students and the school of engineering.
They then raised an additional $4,000 from corporate sponsors such as American Concrete Institute, Topgrade Construction, People's Associates and Hexagon Transportation Consultants.
In January, members traveled to Las Vegas for the World Concrete Convention where they gathered information and contacts for the project.
"It's been worth it," said engineering manager Sean Bashaw. "I'm excited and happy to represent my school. I hope the quality of work that's been done will bring attention to our club."
SJSU students will get in the water on Sunday to compete in the Mid-Pacific Regional Competition at Lake Merritt in Berkeley.
The competition is an annual event with participation from civil engineering majors affiliated with their respective university's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Members of the society at SJSU had split off to form the Concrete Canoe Club and the Steel Bridge Project.
Each participating university is responsible for constructing a concrete canoe and steel bridge, which is then tested for durability and design against other universities.
The University of California at Berkeley, University of Nevada-Reno, Fresno State and Chico State University are a few of the schools competing in the event.
The Concrete Canoe Club has designed a 150 pound, 6.5 foot racing canoe called Leonidas, named after a famous Spartan warrior who held off an enemy army for four days against helpless odds.
"It's been a great adventure," said Kharlo Barcenas, the project's manager. "I learned a lot about management and how to work with other people on this project."
According to general manager Colette Buzzone, the Leonidas project was initially started in September of last year, but was wasn't designed until December due to a lack of funding.
The club was then given $3,000 in financial support from Associated Students and the school of engineering.
They then raised an additional $4,000 from corporate sponsors such as American Concrete Institute, Topgrade Construction, People's Associates and Hexagon Transportation Consultants.
In January, members traveled to Las Vegas for the World Concrete Convention where they gathered information and contacts for the project.
"It's been worth it," said engineering manager Sean Bashaw. "I'm excited and happy to represent my school. I hope the quality of work that's been done will bring attention to our club."
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