"California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo"
(5th place overall; 14th in paper; 6th in presentation; 2nd in product)

Excellence in Design Award
R. John Craig Award for Co-Ed Sprint

Presentation:

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo represented the Pacific Southwest Conference and made their seventh national appearance.

Poly relied on 5 people to make their presentation; 3 men and 2 women.  The presenters were dressed business casual and the presentation was business/technical.  The team used 2 screens and did not include any video.

After a brief introduction, the team outlined their goals and elaborated on the collective attributes needed to achieve them.  They explained how they improved upon last year’s design and elaborated on the finite element analysis used to obtain the service loads.  Then they described the structural elements used during their analysis and presented the results.

Mix design came next.  The team explained how they designed their concrete mix to withstand the service load and concluded this segment by explaining how well they met their goals.  Then it was on to canoe construction.

The team explained how they moved from a male to a female mold and described the steps taken to construct their entry.  Then they elaborated on the techniques used to place the very elaborate mosaic... constructed following the animal theme mosaic originally created by artist M. C. Escher.

They concluded their presentation by mentioning their team philosophy and the extent to which they relied on out-of-the-box thinking.

Questions and Comments:

• What did you learn by using a female mold?
• Did you conduct any tests to see whether your shrinkage reducing admixture worked?
• Did you do anything to account for the shrinkage of your mold?
• Did you use any pre-stressing techniques?
• How did you control the thickness of the layers placed?
• What would you do differently with regard to construction, if you had to do it again?
• How did you lay up your mosaic?
• Did your reinforcement run down the entire length of your canoe?
• Why did you eliminate the ribs that were incorporated into last year’s canoe?
• How did the removal of the ribs affect your canoe's structural integrity?
• Did you have multiple designs in mind when you integrated your graphics?
• Why do rounded shapes strengthen the canoe as opposed to those generated with straight lines?
• How does your team transfer technology to new recruits from year to year?
• How did your team decide on your theme?
• Who created your design?

Product:

  
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo fielded "M.C. Escher."
Length: 19' 8"
Weight: 231 lb
Color: white

Team member, Skye Orvis, demonstrated her artistic talents on Cal Poly-SLO's canoe.  She created and stained dozens of individual caricatures on a fiberglass scrim that her team grouted into the bottom of their boat.  Once the inlay was placed, the canoe was sealed. 

Vital Statistics