Building Steel Bridges and Floating Concrete Canoes
Christine McLaughlin, PE, Structural Designer, HNTB
The ASCE Northeast Student Symposium is an annual student conference, hosted by and for the student members of ASCE from college engineering chapters around the Northeast region, from Connecticut to Maine. Even some nearby Canadian schools are invited to participate. The 2024 Symposium was hosted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH), whose student members planned, coordinated, set up and volunteered for months ahead of the 3-day event to make it successful.
Looking out over the bridges for presentation judging
(UMass Lowell team in foreground)
This conference was attended by 15 schools, with 11 participating in the Concrete Canoe competition, and 13 participating in the Steel Bridge competition. Over time, the symposium has also expanded to include not on the competitions (and associated meetings and presentations), but also ASCE Leadership Workshops, provided for free to the students to attend between events. This year’s presentations included topics such as “Ethics and Professional Conduct,” “Pathways to the PE,” and “What is my Emotional Intelligence?” More details about the symposium can be found here on ASCE’s website.
UConn team assembling their bridge during Construction Judging
(They came in second overall)
Christine McLaughlin of the YMG (former Northeastern University steel bridge team member/captain) attended the Steel Bridge competition as a judge this year, for the second time. It was a full day of judging each bridge and poster for aesthetics, before observing each team race to build their bridge under strict guidelines and physical restraints, as quickly as possible while also making sure it would be stiff and strong enough to withstand the upcoming loading tests. Christine was judging the construction portion of the competition, while BSCES Senior Vice President Rich Matson judged the loading portion. Both were joined by over a dozen other judges, made up of volunteering engineers from around the northeast.
Wentworth (WIT) applying weights and measuring deflection
for the Loading Judging
The students all participated to the best of their abilities, showing off their skills in construction as well as their incredibly precise designs to build the lightest and strongest bridges. Awards were announced later that evening for the overall winners, as well as the top performers in various other categories. It was a great weekend for all who attended, and we can’t wait to see the next one!
Student chapters around the state are always looking for guidance from professionals in the industry, from steel design and concrete mix reviews, as well as financial support for materials and conference fees. YMG’s student liaisons would be happy to connect anyone interested in supporting their alma mater or other student chapter schools.