About Us:
Each year, UC San Diego’s Concrete Canoe team competes in the National Concrete Canoe Competition hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The competition challenges students to design and build a 20-foot long canoe out of concrete. A set of prescribed rules governs the design of the concrete and all other aspects of the competition. Students apply what they have learned in class and from other students to design and analyze the canoe, using programs like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Matlab, and SAP2000. They also gain hands-on experience mixing and testing concrete, constructing the mold and reinforcement systems, applying the aesthetic designs, and ultimately fabricating the competition canoe.
The team competes against 18 other schools in the Pacific Southwest Conference. At PSWC, each team is judged in four categories: aesthetics, canoe races, an oral presentation, and a technical paper. The top team moves on to the national competition where they compete against other regional winners.
2019 Recap:
- 2nd Place Design Paper
- 2nd Place Oral Presentation
- 3rd Place Final Product
- 2nd Place Overall
The UCSD Concrete Canoe Team proudly presented Cosmos at the 2019 Pacific Southwest Regional Conference (PSWC), hosted at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Cosmos was inspired by the idea that space has never ceased to challenge humanity to answer seemingly impossible questions, engendering a spirit of curiosity that has driven innovation, change, and progress in the engineering industry. Our team encapsulated these core values which resulted in our first-time top three overall finish. By showcasing our new innovative design, we were awarded second place in the Oral Presentation category of the competition. With a modernized hull design and a well-developed mix formula, the male sprint team was able to place third in the Race component of the competition. Additionally, the creative use of shiny aggregates and numerous hours dedicated to effective finishing techniques allowed Cosmos to place third in overall product. Each of these achievements are a clear testament to the team's tenacity, work ethic, and dedication.
The UCSD Concrete Canoe team placed 3rd at the 2020 Pacific Southwest Conference hosted by California State Fullerton! Because of the cancellation of the conference due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, the team was scored primarily on the technical proposal that was submitted before the competition was scheduled to take place. The team wants to thank everyone for their support and contributions, and is looking forward to next year's competition at UCLA!
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UCSD Concrete Canoe
Contact Concrete Canoe Project Manager
Lexi Verdugo (averdugo@ucsd.edu)
