"Catholic University of America"
(21st place overall; 21st in paper; 18th in presentation; 21st in product)

Presentation:

Catholic’s theme was based on the movie “Cool Runnings.”  The team did not display a canoe on Saturday and only two team members showed up at nationals.

The team began by promoting the attributes of their hull and the test program used during the stint. 

They spoke about their project management then elaborated on their hull design.

After mentioning their design goals, the team covered the hydrodynamic analysis.  They described the tests that were conducted to assess structural integrity.

After listing the constituents used in their mix and outlining the steps used to construct their boat, the team brought their presentation to conclusion.

Judges Comments/Questions:

• What happened to your boat?
• What was your quality control process?
• How many layers of reinforcement did you use?
• You mention shape memory alloy.  Was this material used to construct your boat?
• What loading conditions and/or analyses were performed to assess structural performance?

Commentary:

There must have been some major problems on the home front to give up a bid for a national title.  We can think of about 200 teams or so that would have killed to have been in the hunt.

Product:

Canoe Name: CUAL Runnings
Length: 22.5 ft
Weight: 338.5 lb
Color: Red exterior with concrete-gray interior

The team employed one layer of reinforcement that was placed toward the exterior of their canoe.  This was the second time that Catholic failed to produce their entry after qualifying for the national competition.

Vital Statistics