**MEDIA ADVISORY**
CONCRETE CANOE, STEEL BRIDGE COMPETITIONS
HIGHLIGHT REGIONAL ENGINEERING EVENT AT UNLV
Civil Engineering Students from 17 Universities — including UNLV — Put Technical, Environmental Design Skills to Test During Competition April 8–10
| WHAT: | Student engineers from UNLV will compete with peers from top regional universities in concrete canoe, steel bridge and environmental design events during the 2010 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Southwest Regional Conference |
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| WHEN: | Thursday, April 8, 2010 (Event locations listed in parenthesis) 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Environmental Design Challenge (UNLV Engineering Complex) 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Concrete Canoe/Steel Bridge Display (UNLV North Field) Friday, April 9, 2010 (Event location listed in parenthesis) 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Concrete Canoe Races (Lake Mead Boat Harbor) Saturday, April 10, 2010 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Steel Bridge Competition (UNLV Science and Engineering Bldg.) |
| DETAILS: | The events are free and open to the public. The ASCE conference draws students from Nevada, Arizona, California and Hawaii universities to compete in a series of engineering–related events. The competition gives students practical experience, allows them to network with peers, and — in the case of concrete canoe and steel bridge — gives them a chance to qualify for a national championship berth.
Concrete Canoe — Race, aesthetic and technical elements provide hands–on experience in project management and concrete–mix design. Top three advance to national championship. Steel Bridge — Teams build a functional 1/10th scale model of a steel bridge and are judged on speed of assembly, weight, display and the ability to withstand a more than 2,500–pound load. Top three advance to national championship. Water Purification Challenge — Sample of contaminated water must be purified using only "everyday" products purchased from common retail stores. |
For a complete list of participating universities and information on additional events, please visit http://pswrc.org.