"University of Alabama in Huntsville (Team UAH)"
(6th place overall; 3rd in paper; 7th in presentation; 7th in product)

Presentation:

The University of Alabama in Huntsville represented the Southeast Conference and made their sixteenth national appearance.

Team UAH relied on 4 people to make their presentation; 3 men and 1 woman.  The presenters were dressed in business attire.  The team used 1 screen and included several animations.

The team began by pointing out that this was their 25th anniversary and that they dedicated their efforts to the faculty and staff who were killed and wounded during the initial attempt to place their canoe

They explained that they carried out a long range plan developed by their faculty, alumni, and graduate students to transfer skills, knowledge and expertise to them.  They mentioned that they contributed their own ideas regarding safety, quality control, and risk management.

Management came first followed by an explanation of how aggregates were selected and critical parameters determined.  Mold and canoe construction came next followed by a segment describing how their graphics reflected the legend behind their school's mascot.

They pointed out the differences between last year's boat and their current entry and described the dynamic tuning approached that they employed in their design.

The team mentioned the problems that they encountered during form removal which involved thermal expansion and "Greening."  They noted that they were cited in the Princeton Review for their efforts made in sustainability in the competition and explained how they used video analysis to improve their paddling skills.  

The team concluded by saying that their efforts may place even the best university in deep trouble.

Questions and Comments:  

• How do you justify classifying butvar as an admixture as opposed to an aggregate?

• What is the advantage of using PVA over other other fiber types?

• How did you mange all of the things that you accomplished this year?

• What are CH and CSH?

• The judges acknowledged the obstacles that the team had overcome.

• How did you do that?

• Why is your safety factor so high?

• Do you plan to lower it?

• What are the benefits of having two people in the shop at a time?

• Did you have any issues or problems with safety?

The presentation went pretty well and the question and answer session ran pretty smoothly.

Product:

   The University of Alabama in Huntsville fielded "Super Charger."
Length: 20'
Weight: 195 lb
Color: blue and white with black letters

Vital Statistics