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The WSU ASCE Student Chapter was selected by the ASCE Committee on Student Activities to receive a Letter of Honorable Mention for its outstanding work during 2005. The group was honored for its work on a variety of activities, from community service projects to professional meetings to social activities.
“It's great that this group’s efforts and considerable accomplishments this past year are being recognized at the national level,’’ said Dave McLean, chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Here are some highlights from the group’s activities and their participation in regional competitions:
- Sunnyside Elementary Career Day. A group of 12 students visited the Pullman elementary school to introduce youngsters to engineering. The students led the children in a building project, using index cards and paperclips.
- Community service projects. The group participated in such things as a highway clean-up, Cougar Pride Days, and a high school preview day, in which the ASCE students had a display and chatted with high school students about civil engineering.
- Steel Bridge competition. This year’s steel bridge competition was held at Montana Tech University in April. The group aimed to be highly competitive in the lightness and construction speed portions of the competition, so they decided to “gamble a little’’ in their deflection, wrote team member Mike Miaglio in the group’s chapter report. They took first in construction time and were fourth lightest out of 16 competing bridges. The group lost their gamble, resulting in a substantial penalty when their bridge snapped. The group also hoped to increase student involvement in the competition. “I really think that we are beginning to develop a team reputation that will last from year to year,’’ wrote Miaglio.
- Concrete Canoe competition. This year’s Concrete Canoe team took second place overall at the regional competition, placing first in the technical report category and receiving no deductions on their paper. The canoe, Lucky 13, was 18 feet long and weighed about 250 pounds, with an average hull thickness of ¾ inches. “Our teams are consistently winning the technical aspects of the competition, but losing the competition in the races,’’ wrote team member Brian Walkenhauer. “In the future more time and effort needs to be devoted to teaching our team how to paddle a concrete canoe successfully.’’
Advisors for ASCE are Dave Pollock and Shane Brown. Chapter officers are Brian Walkenhauer, Ryan Beemer, Adrienne Nikolic, Brandon Billing, and Mike Miraglio.
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