"University of California - Berkeley (UCB)"
(3rd place overall; 1st in paper; 2nd in presentation; 13th in product)

Presentation:

Two men and one woman dressed in lab coats gave Berkeley's presentation.  Their multimedia presentation featured videos on a side screen with fixed graphics on the central screen.  

The skit featured a mentor explaining to "Igor" and a female lab assistant how he conducted his extraordinary research on the concrete canoe.  The underlings continuously asked questions while the mentor elaborated with inflection how the research and construction processes were done.

Following their presentation, two projectionists joined the other team members on stage and proceeded to answer some very detailed questions.  The judges began by questioning the team about their mix design.  Their query was met with a very detailed technical response and it was clear that Berkeley was on their game.

"Were admixtures used to increase workability?" and "How was the safety factor of 4.0 determined?".  "Was the compressive strength verified while the construction process proceeded?" and "How did these compare with the design strength?".

"What safety measures were implemented during construction?"  "What is a modified matrix organizational structure?" and "Did you track your total person hours?".  "Can you describe the sheet-crete process for transferring pre-cast sheets to the boat?" and "Were transport stresses calculated?".

This was a very strong effort and the question session went well.  The judges seemed satisfied with the responses and the team members did an excellent job in distributing questions among the various team members.  In short, this was an outstanding production reminiscent of the early days of the national competitions during which the Berkeley teams dominated.

Product:

Name: Bearkelium
Length: 21'
Weight: 150 lb
Color: blue and gold

Vital Stats:

The University of California - Berkeley, located in Berkeley, California, was the representative from the Mid-Pacific Region.  This was their thirteenth appearance at nationals.  They have eleven top five finishes to their credit including four national titles (1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992).  They are one of only three schools (UAH and Clemson are the others) to win back-to-back national titles in the 16 year history of the NCCC and are the only school to have done this twice.

Canoe/Materials/Facts:

Bearkelium was cast with a new, innovative technique called sheet-crete.  This process includes rolling concrete into 1/8 inch thick sheets, transferring them to the form and vibrating the joints together.  The team used fiberglass scrim reinforcement between the three layers of concrete, and included polypropylene micro-fibers to enhance toughness.