The School of Mines chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers finished third of 14 schools at the 2008 ASCE Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, held April 4-5, 2007, in Golden, Colorado.
In order to finish that high, a general level of excellence is required from all of the competitors, and the chapter must compete in every event. In addition to the overall third-place finish, there were several outstanding individual performances.
The concrete canoe team took third in design paper and third in presentation. Unfortunately, the canoe was irreparably damaged on the trip to Golden, so they were unable to compete in the canoe races. This is the second year in a row the canoe was affected by damage in transit, and the canoe team is currently seeking donations for a new trailer to help increase their competitiveness next year. Had the canoe been able to race, they would have placed among the top three teams, and the ASCE Chapter would have finished first overall at the conference.
The steel bridge team finished third overall. The bridge placed first in efficiency, first in lightness, second in construction speed, third in economy and fourth in stiffness. The overall third place finish of the steel bridge team qualifies them to compete at the National Steel Bridge Competition in Gainesville, Fla. on May 23-24.
In additional competitions, Eric Brandner (civil engineering, Aberdeen) took third place in the non-technical paper competition, and Brady Wiesner (civil engineering, Watertown) took third place in the technical paper competition. The chapter was also one of four schools that participated in a community service project to start the conference. Each student donated 10 or more cans that were then used in a "construction competition."
The students competing: Eric Brandner (civil engineering, Watertown), Beth Comes (civil engineering, Rapid City), Jennifer Davis (civil engineering/mathematics, Rapid City), Chris Hammrich (atmospheric science, Milbank), Phillip Knodel (civil engineering, Aberdeen), Kaz Kunishige (civil engineering, Rapid City), Chelsey Larmie-Rhoades (civil engineering, Rapid City), William Lein (civil engineering, Batesland), Janile Lewis (environmental engineering, Spicer, Minn.), Manny Lewis (industrial engineering, Hill City), Joseph Matuska (civil engineering, Lake Andes), Shawn McFarland (civil engineering, Selby), Brett Morford (civil engineering, Brandon), Jesse Morris (civil engineering, Black Hawk), Terri Morris (civil engineering, Belle Fourche), Leah Nehl (civil engineering, Rapid City), Michelle Redmond (civil engineering, East Corinth, Ver.), Adam Riley (civil engineering, Pierre), Ben Sampica (civil engineering, Canton), Michelle Stadel (civil engineering, Redfield), Molly Tobin (civil engineering, Lincoln, Neb.), Chelsea Wattier (civil engineering, Conde), Brady Wiesner (civil engineering, Watertown).