"University of Washington"
(11th place overall; 6th in paper; 10th in presentation; 11th in product)

Presentation:

The University of Washington represented the Pacific Northwest Conference and served as the 2007 NCCC host.  The team made their sixth national appearance.

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

The team began by explaining that their team has been building canoes for over thirty years.  They elaborated on the attributes that they desired on the water and elaborated on their hull design.

Then it was on to mix design.  They specified the goals to be achieved and explained how they integrated their mix with their reinforcement.  The team elaborated on the different mixtures used in the canoe.

Structural analysis came next.  The team explained their loading conditions and presented the results.  Then it was on to mold and canoe construction. 

During this phase of the presentation, the team described how they placed their entry and elaborated on the techniques employed.  They detailed the curing method and mentioned that they used thermal imaging to monitor the cure.

The team explained their finishing techniques and explained how they had been paddling and weight training since last summer.  Then they brought their presentation to a very strong conclusion.

Questions and Comments:   

• Did you test the amount of dye that needed to be placed in order to achieve the color?
• What would you do differently next year with regard to using a fiberglass mold?
• Why did you select 71 degrees as your critical temperature during the thermal imaging>
• What did you do when the temperature was higher or lower?
• Did you pre-calibrate to determine whether your concrete was acceptable?
• Did you do any hand calculations to verify your finite element analysis?
• Are then any questions that you want us to ask that you were prepared for?
• Did you make a drawing of the canoe prior to the regional competition?

Product:

The University of Washington fielded "Legacy."
Length: 19' 10"
Weight: 190 lb
Color: black

The team relied on teamwork to achieve their goals and employed thermal imaging to monitor the cure cycle of their product. 

Vital Statistics