"University of Maine"
(16th place overall; 10th in paper; 13th in presentation; 16th in product)

Presentation:

The University of Maine represented the New England Conference and made their ninth national appearance.

Maine relied on 3 people to make their presentation; 2 men and 1 woman.  The presenters were dressed business casual and the presentation was business oriented.  The team used 1 screen and did not include any videos.

The team began by describing the theme… that they chose to orchestrate a balanced effort.  They outlined their objective with regard to hull design and the modifications that they made to improve their product… in terms of speed and maneuverability.  Then it was on to mix design.

The team described the aggregates and additives used and gave the reasons behind their selections.  They described how they analyzed their service load and presented the materials properties and strength required of their concrete.  The reinforcement scheme was described and the team elaborated on their approach to composite construction.

Mold and canoe construction came next.  The team presented the curing and finishing techniques employed and described how they achieved an antithetically pleasing product.  They ended up by mentioning that their approach made their product cost effective.

Questions and Comments:   

• Why did you choose not to use super plasticizer in conjunction with self consolidating concrete?
• How did you choose the theme developed for your project?
• Did your flow chart help you to construct your product?
• Could you have accomplished your goals without it?
• How did the video tape that you collected during last year’s competition help?
• When was your design drawing done?
• Which was more important: the design of your boat or the mix design?
• Did you do a float test in conjunction with the self consolidating concrete?
• When you baked off your admixtures, did you find any solids in your air entrainment agent?
• Did you suffer any injuries while constructing your concrete canoe?

 Product:

The University of Maine fielded "Libra."
Length: 19' 11 7/8"
Weight: 203 lb
Color: blue and gold

The team employed a truncated bow to thwart waves and flared the upper portion to avoid spillage. 

Vital Statistics