On April 2-4, Carroll College's Department of Civil Engineering and Montana State University will co-host the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Northwest Regional Student Conference at Carroll College's campus in Helena. Expected at the event are 300 students, plus faculty advisors, from colleges and universities in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Participants will gather to promote civil engineering and participate in various competitions. Competitions include steel bridge design and construction, concrete canoe design and races, and a contest for best submission of a professional paper on sustainability in civil engineering. The event at Carroll is sponsored by Pacific Steel & Recycling, a Great Falls-based company, which provided a $50,000 gift to Carroll College last year, of which $20,000 will support this ASCE regional conference.

Most activities will take place at the Carroll campus, with the public invited to attend. On Thurs., April 2, concrete canoes will be on display in the Carroll PE Center. On Friday, April 3, a steel bridge competition takes place in the PE Center, with a concurrent Career Fair in the Nelson Stadium lobby, and presentation of professional papers and concrete canoe technical reports in the Simperman Hall Wiegand Amphitheater. On Sat., April 4, the concrete canoe races will anchor the weekend's festivities. Canoes will be launched and piloted by teams of engineering students at Serenity Lake (known also as "water ski lake") in the Helena valley.

Can a concrete canoe really ply the waves? "As long as the weight of the canoe and its occupants is less than the water it displaces, it will float," says Carroll Assistant Professor of Engineering Gary Fischer. "Concrete designs can incorporate admixtures and aggregate replacements, such as glass microbeads, that can cause it to be as light as or lighter than water. Instead of steel reinforcement, support can be provided by Kevlar or fiberglass cloth or mesh."

In prior years' competitions, canoes stayed aloft to the amazement of onlookers, with some sinking spectacularly later on in the races, creating  a festive environment for even those who know little about engineering and design. 

The ASCE Pacific Northwest Regional Student Conference is an annual event that is hosted on a revolving basis by colleges and universities in the region. Carroll is serving as host for the first time this year, and Fischer says it is an ideal way to mark the Carroll's centennial, being celebrated in 2009-2010. Last year, the conference was held as Portland State University.

"This event gives students the opportunity to get to know each other, participate in friendly competitions and apply their engineering educations. It provides a setting using engineering design and construction for steel bridges and concrete canoes with an emphasis on creativity and economy of design," Fischer says.

To attend events, volunteer, offer financial support or learn more, contact Assistant Professor Gary Fischer at 406-447-4571 or gfischer -is-at- carroll -dot- edu.