News Archive

Golden Bears Set to Compete in the ASCE 2014 Virginias Conference

This week, West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) students and faculty members will travel to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to compete in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2014 Virginias Student Conference April 3 – 6.

In all, 19 WVU Tech students will compete in six events, showcasing skills in research, engineering and construction as they contend with hundreds of students from schools in Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area.

“The conference is an important opportunity for students to meet students from other universities and regional professionals who they may be working with after college,” said WVU Tech Civil Engineering professor Dr. Tigra Yang. “These competitions teach students to work together and it gives them practical engineering and presentation experience.”

WVU Tech will compete in the popular concrete canoe competition which tasks students with designing, constructing and racing a concrete vessel that is both effective on the water and in engineering design. Students began preparation in the fall and will provide a paper and presentation on their project in addition to racing the canoe.

The steel bridge competition asks students to construct a 1:10 scale steel bridge that will be load-tested and judged on weight, construction speed, economy, structural efficiency, and display. Working within the bounds of a 40-page rulebook, the WVU Tech team began the project at the beginning of the semester.

WVU Tech will also enter student research in the Hardy Cross Cup and Marr Technical Paper competitions. Civil engineering student Rachel Facemire will present her research paper “Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge Systems,” a study on a new engineering method that makes short-span bridge construction cheaper, faster and more efficient.

Additional WVU Tech teams will present storm water runoff management plans in the environmental competition and test their observation and measurement skills in the surveying competition.

“We have strong teams all around and we’re expecting to do very well this year,” said Dr. Yang. “Most importantly, we’ll present ourselves well and let everyone know what WVU Tech can do.”

WVU Tech would like to congratulate participating students on their hard work and wish them the best of luck at this week’s conference. Go Golden Bears!