NEWS

University holds American Society of Civil Engineers’ Virginias conference
During the month of April students from 13 colleges and universities in Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. gathered in Charlottesville this weekend to compete in the annual American Society of Civil Engineers’ Virginias Conference.

During the three-day event, students competed in a variety of civil engineering competitions, conference chair Emily Benko said.

The two largest competitions involved steel bridges and concrete canoes. In the first competition, students built miniature bridges which were judged based on criteria including aesthetics and the amount of weight the bridge could hold. In the other competition, students gave presentations about the chemical composition of their concrete canoes and raced them at Walnut Creek.

Fairmont State University won the canoe competition and Virginia Tech won the bridge competition, Benko said. Students from those schools will participate in the national competition, she added.

Benko said University students participated in the events but “didn’t fare so well” because they were busy with hosting duties.

–compiled by Kristin Hawkins