"University of California Los Angles"
(9th place overall; 8th in paper; 9th in presentation; 9th in product)

Presentation:

UCLA represented the Pacific Southwest Conference and made their fourth national appearance.

UCLA relied on 3 people to make their presentation; 2 men and 1 woman.  The presenter was dressed in a suit and the supporting team in business casual.  The presentation was business oriented.  The team used 1 screen and included several video segments.

After a brief introduction, the team explained their theme and competition history.  They specified their goals and began with structural analysis.

The team determined that the critical loads occurred during the four person sprint and specified the level of them.  Then it was on to mix design.  

The team elaborated on the attributes of their mix.  They explained that this was the first time that they employed a female mold.  The team mentioned that they practiced their construction techniques by building a prototype before constructing the final product.

The team introduced their management team and outlined their competition strategy.  They described their  practice sessions and then brought their presentation to a strong conclusion.

Questions and Comments:  

• How did you collectively decide on the theme employed this year?
• What steps did you take to improve your team effort?
• How did you break down your team so that you could accomplish all tasks?
• Why did you go to the trouble of making very slight modifications in your design?
• How did you determine the workability of your mix?
• Why did you add certain constituents to the mix and what did they do?

Overall, this was a strong effort.

Product:

    UCLA fielded "Archimedes."
Length: 19.19'
Weight: 195 lb
Color: white

UCLA’s hull was reinforced using a fiberglass mesh.  The team included alki-resistant glass fibers for secondary reinforcement and employed 4 different mixes.  Matrix materials included fly ash and shale, used to fill voids and strengthen the mix.

The team employed a female mold for construction and focused on keeping the project environmentally friendly.  During their presentation, they emphasized concepts not included in the design report.

Vital Statistics