ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition

Joe Cook,
Junior, Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 8 April 2013 – It floats!!! That was the big news for the members of the Ohio University student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This past weekend our student organization, which I am currently president of, competed in the Ohio Valley Student Conference in events such as concrete canoe, steel bridge, environmental engineering, surveying, and technical paper competitions. We competed against other ASCE student chapters in the Ohio Valley region such as Ohio State University, Akron, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, Youngstown State University, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Western Kentucky University, and Cleveland State University, the conference host this year.

Our biggest accomplishment this weekend was launching a canoe and bringing it home in one piece. This is the fourth consecutive year our organization has built a concrete canoe, and this is the first time the canoe didn’t fail structurally in the water or during transport. I was personally captain of the environmental engineering team, we developed a bench scale column filter to remove phosphorous, the major component in fertilizer and a major contributor to toxic algal blooms, from simulated storm water. Although the results aren’t currently available, our independent tests yielded promising results.

The coolest thing about my team’s design was the implementation of iron pigment we derived from acid mine drainage near campus. Using this source of iron we are effectively treating two water quality issues with one product. The following link is to a story about our concrete canoe team; note that our canoe was affectionately dubbed the Yellow Submarine. If you take a look at the pictures it becomes apparent why.

Read the Russ College news release for more details on the competition.

Spring Break Relaxation

Erica Toussant,
Senior, Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 12 March 2013 – Over this year’s spring break, I took a week vacation in Florida. The break was early March so the northern part of FL was still cold. Luckily, I was down in Fort Lauderdale/Miami area. I was going to visit my boyfriend and some of his family he was staying with as he trained for the NFL draft.

I woke up super early the first Saturday of the break to drive to Columbus to catch my flight at 7:50am. I grabbed my backpack (I packed very light!) and was on my way. After a quick layover at the first stop, I landed in Florida around 1:00pm. It wasn’t as warm as I had hoped, but it certainly was much warmer than Ohio, and the temperature gradually increased throughout my stay. I got to spend the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday with my boyfriend. We spent this time by going to the movies, grabbing desserts at a fancy restaurant at the top of a building in South Beach, eating a home cooked meal with his aunt and uncle, and just relaxing by the pool at his cousin’s place.

Throughout the week, while he was training, I found ways to occupy myself. I read a really great book while I sat at the pool, looked around shops that I really had no business looking in considering the outrageous price tags, and taking walks on the beach. His aunt and uncle and a couple of her friends took me to the beach the one day. So, I got to meet these new people who are from other parts of Ohio.

Unfortunately halfway through the week, I woke up with sun poisoning and had to skip my scheduled trip to a nearby beach. I used the day to do some laundry and catch up on some shows and some sleep, but I made sure the following days were spent in the sun.

The trip was relaxing and exactly what I needed in the middle of this busy semester. It was a spring break to remember, not one about the usual college spring break trips, but one about me meeting new people, catching some rays, and learning an awesome new game called rummikub.

Winter Activities at OU

Erica Toussant,
Senior, Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 4 February 2013 – Athens can get pretty cold in the winter time with the unpredictable weather. While this makes walking to class undesirable, there are other activities worth braving the wind and snow for including 1) the men’s basketball games 2) Ohio Hockey games and 3) recreational skating hours at Bird Arena.

The men’s basketball program has been progressing over the last few years, and of course, last year they made it to the Sweet Sixteen. This has only intensified the atmosphere surrounding basketball season. The Ozone could quite possibly be one of the best student cheering sections. With everyone chanting together and the pep band playing classic OU songs, you can’t help but get pumped up during the game. If you want some school spirit, the varsity men’s basketball games are a sure way to get it.

Bird Arena isn’t exactly the most noticeable building on campus, but it holds some fun and exciting events. Men’s Hockey can be a pretty big deal. Though it’s not a varsity sport, opponents can be from pretty big schools across the country. It’s awesome how fast the game is played, and the drama and fights between players is an added bonus to the experience.

For a little more participation on your part at Bird, recreational skating occurs on Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as weekends. Students get in free, though skates can be rented for a few dollars. It’s a great place to go with friends, and in my case, try something new. Bird Arena is where I first ice skated. I could possibly be the worst ice skater ever, but it sure was fun. As I continue to go back every now and then, I am improving. Whether it be hockey or ice skating, be sure to dress warm because you really won’t escape much of the cold in Bird.

Preparing for the ASCE Steel Bridge Competition

Evan Boso,
Junior, Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 29 January 2013 – Over this year, I have been working with a team of students to design, fabricate and build a steel bridge. The purpose of this is to compete in ASCE’s (American Society of Civil Engineers) Ohio Valley Student Conference. The conference includes many other universities within the Ohio Valley, such as Ohio State, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Akron, and Cincinnati. The conference brings these schools together, holding competitions such as an environmental competition and concrete canoe, as well as having guest speakers. This provides the students an
ability to make friends, network, and find out exactly what branch of civil engineering they may want to get into.

The competition includes all stages of process: conception, design, fabrication, and erection. The hope is that those participating in the competition gain practical experience in structural design, fabrication, construction planning, organization, project management, and teamwork.

I’ve personally enjoyed this working on this project. It’s provided me an opportunity to work with other people in my major I haven’t previously spoke to. It’s also provided me an opportunity to work on something out of class that is more realistic than crunching numbers or working through theories, though a fair share of theory and number crunching were involved in the process.

Winter Semester Courses

Joe Cook,
Junior, Civil Engineering

Athens, OH 22 January 2013 – Winter semester, time to shake off the dust and get back to class. This semester I have a really interesting course load. I’m taking a course called Water Quality Engineering that covers aquatic chemistry. The course deals heavily in chemistry, but the content we learn is very practical. The methods we learn allow me as a civil engineer to judge the condition of a sample of water based on chemical, biological, and physical composition. To put it simply, I can tell you if water is safe for swimming, drinking, or even laboratory use.

On the flip side I’m also taking a physical education course, bowling. Not the most strenuous activity, but it’s fun to pull myself away from the engineering side of things and just throw a 16 pound ball at some wood for 2 hours every other day.

In addition to classes, I was recently appointed president of the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter, and the duties I’ve assumed with that position are keeping me busy as well. I can’t wait to see our concrete canoe come out of the mold and get painted. I’m looking forward to the competition in April to prove our design and have some fun in Cleveland at our yearly conference.