RESTON, VA -- For more than two decades, civil engineering students have come together each June to see if the thousands of hours they have spent researching, designing and constructing canoes made of concrete have paid off. In turn, each summer a group of five leading industry professionals is also challenged with the daunting task of determining which team will take home the "America's Cup of Civil Engineering."
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today announced the elite group chosen to serve as judges for the 2011 National Concrete Canoe Competition to be held June 16-18 at the University of Evansville in Indiana. They are:
- David G. Lewis, P.E., Bridge Engineer for the County of Santa Barbara, California, Transportation Division of the Department of Public Works.
- Craig A. Lindquist, P.E., M.ASCE, president of Creative Construction Solutions in Chesterfield (St. Louis) Missouri.
- Larry K. Owens, P.E., M.ASCE, Chief Engineer/Area Manager for Traylor Bros., Heavy Civil Construction Division in Evansville.
- David J. Wanninger, P.E., M. ASCE, president of Acura Engineering, Inc., Evansville.
- Michelle L. Wilson, FACI, director of Concrete Knowledge for Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Illinois.
"This event would not be possible without the commitment of the National Concrete Canoe Competition judges, who unselfishly lend their extensive knowledge, time, energy and enthusiasm to making it the best learning experience possible for the students," said ASCE president Kathy J. Caldwell, P.E., F.ASCE, "The judges' endless commitment to civil engineering education will have a significant impact on the future of the profession and on the competition's participants."
The best and brightest from 24 top engineering schools compete in four categories -- the aesthetics and structural integrity of their canoe; a technical design paper highlighting their planning, development, testing and construction; an academic presentation covering their canoe's design, construction, racing ability and other innovative features, and, of course, the performance of the canoe and its paddlers in five different races -- men's and women's slalom/endurance races and men's, women's and co-ed sprint races.
For more information on the National Concrete Canoe Competition, including downloadable high-resolution photos, please visit www.concretecanoe.asce.org.
