"Michigan Technological University"
(7th place overall; 6th in paper; 7th in presentation; 6th in product)

Presentation:

Four team members, three men and one woman, dressed in formal attire, gave the presentation.  The team looked sharp and after a formal introduction gave a brief introduction underlying their theme.  

They began with project management and then went on to describe the attributes of their design.  The team explained how they used Pro-Line software to understand their hull's performance and elaborated on how they measured cementitious properties as a function of time.

This was a very detailed presentation including reinforcement specifications.  The team explained nicely how tests were used to determine mix properties and how the mix design process was synced with mold construction.  They outlined the construction process along with the curing process.  They gave very detailed descriptions of how they integrated structural members, such as ribs, into their hull.  Practice sessions were mentioned and the team specified their innovations.  

Tech was the only team to state why their canoe was the best at the competition!

During the question and answer session the judges asked why the team chose to use cylinders as opposed to cubes and why they considered this step to be innovative.  Other questions followed:  "Which of your samples gave you the higher compressive strength?"   "How were ribs placed into the hull?"  "Why did you select to use an eleven-day curing cycle as opposed to ten or twelve?"

"What was the single biggest challenge during construction?" and "Why did you return to hand placement as opposed to pneumatic placement?".

The team seemed to be in control here and was the only one to have one team member follow up on another’s response.  The judges even hesitated somewhat in the middle of the technical questions while wondering what to ask next.  

The team’s responses during questioning even generated some laughter from the audience.  Short and sweet, this effort was very strong!

Product:

Name: Sisu
Length: 20'
Weight: 230 lb
Color: blue

 Vital Stats:

Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan. They have proudly represented the North Central Region five times at the national level.  Their highest finish to date was seventh in 2003.

Canoe/Materials/Facts:

Tech's canoe was reinforced with carbon fiber in the form of a continuous, customized mesh, strategically placed tendons, and loose strand in the concrete mix.  Their canoe's hull featured a tapered stern and a narrow bow to allow their paddlers to stroke more efficiently.