 "Photo: Catrina Rawson")
 "Photo: Catrina Rawson")
A concrete canoe might sound like an oxymoron, but civil engineers at about 150 universities nationwide try to make it work every year.
"It's all about problem solving," said Paul Bruss, senior in civil engineering. "The concrete mix has to be designed to be as strong as possible without being too heavy. The hull of the canoe must be designed to distribute weight well while also being fast and agile."
Bruss joined the K-State team after seeing a 1970s team picture in the hallway of the Department of Civil Engineering building.
"I honestly thought right at that second that it could potentially be the coolest engineering club at K-State," he said. "Who else gets to compete in something as awesome as racing canoes made of floating concrete?"
The competition began at K-State about 30 years ago and has grown into an elaborate four-part challenge.
The first part is a series of five races testing the canoe on speed and agility. The second quarter of the teams' points come from displays each team prepares, which highlight the canoes' aesthetics and construction processes.
The third part of the competition is a 30-page paper detailing the history of the school, development and testing of the canoe and construction process. The team will submit its paper Friday to a judges' panel.
During the regional competition in Lawrence at the end of April, officers will present their work to the judges and receive their critiques as the final part of the competition.
"I've gotten job offers and everything just from being canoe chair because employers know the amount of time and effort," said Bryan Donze, senior in civil engineering. "It just basically is teaching you to think a little more outside of the box, have a little more of an engineering mindset, a broader range of skills that the employers really look for."
Donze said the concrete is different from a regular mix because it does not use gravel and sand as the aggregate in the concrete. Instead, the team uses glass and ceramic beads to make the density of the concrete less than the density of water.
"It's nice because you can put to use a little bit of what you learn in class," said Brian Geiger, senior in civil engineering. "But you also learn a whole other side of engineering and a good bit of creative problem solving."
