Louisiana Tech engineering students earn top honors at concrete canoe, steel bridge competitions

Louisiana Tech University's student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers won first place in several categories including concrete canoe and steel bridge during the Deep South Regional Conference at Mississippi State University.

Twenty-one students competed in the Conference's concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions. The Louisiana Tech teams took first place for their oral presentation in the concrete canoe competition, technical paper presentation in the concrete canoe competition, and concrete canoe "final product." The team also placed first in the women's endurance race.

The Deep South region is comprised of schools such as LSU, University of New Orleans, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, and Arkansas State University.

"This is the fourth time in the school's history that the team has won the regional competition and qualified to compete in the national concrete canoe competition, "said Chris Warshaw, construction manager for the Louisiana Tech team.

Tech students also earned top honors in the steel bridge category, which included first place for construction speed and first place for economy. These finishes helped them to earn first place overall in the steel bridge competition.

The student teams have been working on these engineering projects since fall quarter, applying what they learned in the classroom. Through the construction and competition, the students also learn about time management, leadership, and dedication.

"At Louisiana Tech, we always strive to achieve excellence in every engineering challenge we face," said Troy Partington, concrete canoe project manager. "We are proud to represent Louisiana Tech's civil engineering program for the second year in a row on the national level."

By way of their first-place finishes, both the concrete canoe team and steel bridge team have qualified for their respective national conferences, which will be held in May.

Provided by Louisiana Tech University