The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) finished first of 14 schools at the 2009 ASCE Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, hosted April 2-4, 2009 by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
The conference involves a number of competitions, including the steel bridge and concrete canoe. In addition to the overall first-place finish, there were several outstanding team performances.
The steel bridge team finished in second place overall, an accomplishment that qualifies them for the ASCE national competition, held May 22-23, 2009 at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. The team also placed first in construction speed and first in economy. The steel bridge competition requires students to design, fabricate, and construct a steel bridge to be scored on efficiency, measured by weight and stiffness, and economy, measured by construction speed.
The concrete canoe team placed first in finished product and fourth overall. The concrete canoe competition requires students to design and construct a concrete canoe that is judged on a design paper and presentation, appearance and conformance to specified dimensions, and speed in sprint and endurance races.
The pre-design team placed second overall. In this year's pre-design competition, students were required to design a structure downstream from a dam that would safely allow a swimmer to escape the water below the dam without bodily injury.
There were also individual achievements. Teresa Serie (civil engineering, Mitchell) received second place for her non-technical paper and presentation, and James Kliewer (civil engineering, Mountain View, Okla.) tied for fifth place for his technical paper and presentation.
In addition, the School of Mines ASCE student chapter took second place in the Canstruction competition. In this event, competing teams showcase their talents by designing giant sculptures made entirely out of canned foods. At the close of the conference, all of the food used in the structures is donated to local food banks for distribution to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and elderly and day care centers. The team also excelled by collecting the most cans of any school for the competition.
The concrete canoe and steel bridge teams are part of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Production (CAMP), a student-centered, hands-on engineering program. A key part of the CAMP experience involves designing, building, testing, and competing in a variety of engineering challenges. The program actively combines the classroom experience where students apply their developing technical skills in real-world situations that involve fundraising, planning, deadlines, and international competitions where the teams test their mettle against universities from around the world.
"The success of our student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers is just one example of the recognition that our exceptional student teams receive on a national and international level," School of Mines President Robert A. Wharton said. "Taking these projects from concept to completion gives our students the kind of hands-on experience that makes them so valuable to employers."
The students competing: Paula Barker (civil engineering, Casper, Wyo.), Aaron Blender (chemical engineering, Grand Island, Neb.), Victoria Borchard (civil engineering, Pierre), Corey Coggins (electrical engineering, Beresford), Cassandra Groen (civil engineering, Edgemont), John Job (mechanical engineering, New Town, N.D.), James Kliewer (civil engineering, Mountain View, Okla.), Phillip Knodel (civil engineering, Aberdeen), Tony Kulesa (civil engineering, Warner), Anneka LaBelle (civil engineering, ), Chelsey Larmie-Rhoades (civil engineering, Rapid City), Laura Lindblom (civil engineering, Gillette, Wyo.), James MacCormack (civil engineering, Ashland, Ore.), Brent Morford (civil engineering, Brandon), Jesse Morris (civil engineering, Black Hawk), Terri Morris (civil engineering, Belle Fourche), Bryce Persinger (civil engineering, Remsen, Iowa), Eric Persinger (mechanical engineering, Remsen, Iowa), Michelle Redmond (civil engineering, East Corinth, Ver.), Ben Sampica (civil engineering, Canton), R.C. Scull (civil engineering, Rapid City), Teresa Serie (civil engineering, Mitchell), Karen Schaefers (civil engineering, Miller), Michelle Stadel (civil engineering, Redfield), and Chelsea Wattier (civil engineering, Conde).
