"University of Memphis"
(21st place overall; 21st in paper; 18th in presentation; 18th in product)

Presentation:

The University of Memphis represented the Deep South and made their debut at nationals.

Memphis relied on 1 man to make their presentation.  The presenter was dressed in casual attire.  The team used 1 screen and did not include any videos.

After giving a brief introduction, the team mentioned that they were already winners and clarified what they meant by that.  This was done by reflecting on the team's past efforts. 

They mentioned the problems that they had encountered and said that last year, they were unable to race.  Then, the team outlined the steps taken to address these problems and described how they used out-of-the-box thinking to make it to nationals.

Then, the team described their mix design and outlined the steps taken to meet the sustainability requirements.  After completing this segment, it was on to construction.

The team outlined their construction and curing process.  They mentioned that they were able to achieve a 28 day strength in just one day.

After emphasizing how much they had accomplished in a very short time period, the team brought their presentation to conclusion.

Questions and Comments:

• What type of quality control measures did you take during the batching process?

• What was done to reduce waste and enhance sustainability?

• How did you place your reinforcing materials into your canoe?

• What was done to monitor pre-stressing?

• How did you anchor your ties to the reinforcement?

• How did you determine the number and placement of tendons as well as the pre-stress?

• Why did you need to use steam curing to achieve 28 day strength in one day?

Product:

The University of Memphis fielded "Memphis Belle."
Length: 20.0'
Weight: 278 lb
Color: olive and yellow

Vital Statistics (debut)