UMass Student ASCE Chapter Records Four Notable Achievements
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The UMass Amherst student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) finished the Spring 2024 Semester on a high note by receiving a Letter of Honorable Mention for its 2023 Annual Report and a Letter of Significant Improvement from national ASCE Headquarters. Beyond those significant letters of achievement, two of the chapter’s design/build teams placed quite well in the annual American Institute of Steel (AISC) Steel Bridge Competition and the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition. Visit our ASCE website!
In April of 2024, our ASCE Student Chapter received two noteworthy recognitions for its activities in 2023 from the national ASCE Committee on Student Members. One was a Letter of Honorable Mention for the review of the chapter’s 2023 Annual Report, thus ranking the UMass chapter among the top third of ASCE student organizations throughout the nation. The second recognition was a Letter of Significant Improvement for advancements in activities from the previous year.
“This is a testament to the efforts during 2023 of the whole student chapter with leadership from Claire Delaney (president), Teresa Hachey (vice-president), and the rest of the ASCE Executive Board,” explained the ASCE faculty advisor, Associate Professor Eric Gonzales of the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department. “It’s taken some effort to build back from the pandemic shutdown, and our students have done a great job re-engaging with each other and building up the UMass ASCE Student Chapter.”
Also in April, two design/build teams from the UMass student chapter also attended the ASCE Northeast Student Symposium at the University of New Hampshire and competed in the regional AISC Steel Bridge Competition and the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition.
UMass Steel Bridge placed third overall, making the team eligible for the National Finals. As Gonzales said, “Congratulations to team captain Ryan McLaughlin and the rest of the team. Thank you to [CEE Associate Professor] Kara Peterman for serving as faculty advisor to the team.”
The Steel Bridge Team annually designs, fabricates, and constructs a bridge assembled out of individual, interlocking, steel sections – or “members” – of about three feet apiece. Typically, the bridge is about 20 feet long and three feet wide. Each individual member must be connected to its adjoining members with fully engaged bolt connections. Ultimately, the bridge must support 2,500 pounds (the approximate weight of an average mid-sized sedan).
Design of the bridge takes place throughout the fall semester, and the team fabricates the individual members throughout the winter and spring semesters. It then competes against rival engineering schools throughout the Northeast Region in terms of visual appeal, self-weight, timed-construction speed, and vertical and horizontal stiffness.
At the concrete-canoe competition, UMass Concrete Canoe placed seventh out of 12 overall teams and also won two of the three races on the water. “This is a big improvement from last year,” said Gonzales. “Congratulations to team captains Andrew Salois, Sean McMeniman, and Elvin Kadi and the rest of the team. Thank you to [CEE Department Head] Sergio Breña for serving as faculty advisor to the team.”
The Concrete Canoe Design Team annually designs, constructs, and races a canoe made of concrete. Although the term “concrete canoe” sounds like an oxymoron, the secret is in the concrete mix that must be specially designed each year so that the canoe physically floats in water. The canoe seats four and is approximately 20 feet long. Design and testing of the concrete mix take place throughout the fall semester, and construction of the mold and forming of the canoe occur during spring semester. The team then competes against rival engineering schools throughout the region in terms of visual appeal, presentation, reporting, and canoe racing.
The UMass ASCE student chapter is now preparing to host the ASCE Northeast Student Symposium here at UMass in April of 2025. The symposium will bring student teams from across the region to compete in the AISC Steel Bridge Competition, the ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition, and several other events. In addition to hosting the symposium, ASCE students are also preparing to participate again in these design/build competitions. The ASCE student chapter invites sponsors to support the ASCE Northeast Student Symposium and competition teams (information is available at https://websites.umass.edu/ascesc/2025-asce-northeast-student-symposium/).
UMass ASCE’s mission is to enhance the education and professional development of civil-engineering students, to promote the College of Engineering, to serve the community, and to provide a medium for students to develop relationships with fellow students, faculty, and professionals. This mission is accomplished through technical, professional, and civic activities and by active participation in professional meetings, technical presentations, tours, community service projects, and the annual design/build competitions. (September 2024)