The Herff College of Engineering will be hosting the American Society of Civil Engineers at the Deep South Regional Conference Friday, March 31-April 1.
Students will be participating in a Steel Bridge Building Contest at The University of Memphis and a Concrete Canoe Race at Southwest Tennessee Community College's Macon Cove Campus.
Only members of the ASCE may participate.
"We want to interject some fun and have a good time, but the emphasis is on engineering problem solving," said Roger Meier, faculty advisor of the ASCE.
Thirteen colleges and universities will participate, and winners will go on to compete in the national championships.
Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge are two of the largest competitions.
In the Canoe Competition, which takes place March 31, at 9:30 a.m., students are required to construct a canoe about 15-17 ft. long, weighing less than 100 lbs. Students build the boats out of self-developed concrete.
"This isn't typical concrete that you find in backyard swimming pools," Meier said.
The boat must pass a "swamp test," which means the boat must stay afloat even full of water. Students will then participate in 600-yard endurance races in the morning, and 100-yard sprint races in the afternoon.
On Saturday, starting at 10 a.m., students will be participating in the Steel Bridge Competition, where a 25-foot long bridge capable of supporting up to 2,500 lbs. The trick to the competition is that the students must disassemble it into parts less than three feet long, then rebuild it, Meier said.
Students are scored on how fast the bridge is built, how stiff it is and how heavy a load it can support.
The U of M will not participate this year, but past competitors have been very successful on previous competitions.
"We have trophy cases full of trophies," Meier said. "We do very well in any competition that we enter."
What's unique about this year's competition is that the state branch of the ASCE raised $3,000 for schools affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita so each could participate in the conference.
"The University of New Orleans, Tulane and McNeese State University didn't have a fall semester to prepare for the event," Meier said. "So with the help of the state branch, students can attend for free."
