"California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo"
(11th place overall; 20th in paper; 13th in presentation; 15th in product)

Presentation:

Four team members made Cal Poly's presentation; one female and three males dressed in casual attire.  They used an interactive skit based on the Dukes of Hazard to compliment their presentation.

The team explained the various phases of the project and showed mostly photographs on their slides.

During the question and answer session the team was asked how they calculated and controlled the percentage of air during the mix process.  The judges asked how the team’s concrete practice canoe was used to refine the design and if it is still floating.

The team was asked if they considered transverse stresses when designing their canoe.  Then, the judges focused on management and asked the team to define a critical path.  The team was asked about apparent discrepancies in the schedule outlined in the design report and whether the critical path reflected actual as opposed to planned events.  

After asking, "What parameters were considered when choosing the aggregate?",  the team was asked to elaborate on their non-standard plate test.  Finally, the judges ended the session by asking, "What was the most difficult part of the project?"

Product:

Name: The General
Length: 21" 2"
Weight: 152 lb
Color: rustic orange

Vital Stats:

California Polytechnic State University, located in San Luis Obispo, California, was the representative from the Pacific Southwest Region.  This year marked their sixth consecutive appearance at nationals.  They have two top ten finishes to their credit.  Their highest finish to date was seventh in 1999. 

Canoe/Materials/Facts:

The General was comprised of three layers of concrete, reinforced with two layers of fiber glass mesh and corrugated carbon steel strips, and hand-placed carbon fiber strands.