"Texas A&M University"
(tied for 19th place overall; 14th in paper; 15th in presentation; 11th in product)

Presentation:

Texas A&M relied on 5 people to deliver their presentation.  They used 1 screen and presented their effort from a business standpoint.

A&M started right in by explaining why changes were made in their hull design.  They elaborated on the attributes of their new canoe and explained how hydrodynamic forces were calculated.  Then they commented on how well satisfied they were with their performance at the regional level.

The team explained that they kept their mix design simple so that the time needed for mix design was shortened.  They outlined the mix design parameters and showed the results obtained from experimental testing.

After explaining that they floated their boat in a campus fountain to recruit new members, the team described the construction techniques employed to build their mold, practice boat, and concrete canoe. 

Then they described the test methods developed to evaluate different approaches and cited the advantages and disadvantages of the methods considered.  The team explained how they employed a sheetcrete method and elaborated on how they arrived at their motorcycle theme.

A&M elaborated on how they finished their canoe to reflect their theme and highlighted the intricacies of the design placed on their canoe’s interior.  They mentioned that the theme was even incorporated into their cross section.

The slides noticeably lagged the presentation and the projectionist apologized following the stiny for the lag created by not booting the show into memory prior to projection.

Questions and Comments:

• Did you run into any problems during construction?
• Did you face any challenges with the rule changes developed for last to this year?
• After commending the team for their canoe’s aesthetics, the judges asked, “Do you feel that you mix was economical and strong enough to meet industry needs?”
• What is the maximum heat of hydration that you think that you encounter in your 0.25 in thick concrete section?
• Where did you get the value specified for the specific gravity of your Class-C fly ash?
• How did you determine the modulus of elasticity of your concrete?

Product:

Canoe Name: Ol' Rock   
Length: 21.5 ft
Weight: 275 lb
Color: black

Vital Statistics