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Engineering Students in Concrete Bowling Ball Challenge

March 22, 2017

A group of Angelo State University civil engineering students took third place in the Concrete Bowling Ball Challenge at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Texas Section’s Texas-Mexico Regional Student Symposium earlier this month in El Paso.

(Back row, L to R) Ryan Albert, Anton Reed and John Jefferies(Front, L to R) Dr. Daniel Castaneda, Emma Reyes, Deyton Riddle, Michelle Da...

(Back row, L to R) Ryan Albert, Anton Reed and John Jefferies
(Front, L to R) Dr. Daniel Castaneda, Emma Reyes, Deyton Riddle, Michelle Davis, Caleb Miller and Josh Pirkle

This marked the first time ASU students attended the symposium, and they finished third in the Concrete Bowling Ball Challenge competing against two teams from West Texas A&M University and four teams from the University of Texas at Arlington. 

The bowling ball challenge required that the student teams construct and skillfully bowl a spherically-shaped ball that weighs less than 18 pounds, is 7-9 inches in diameter, and is comprised of a mix that is at least 60 percent Type I Portland concrete. The teams also had to design a poster presentation on their efforts. 

ASU students who attended the conference and competed are members of ASU’s Pre-ASCE student chapter and included Ryan Albert, Michelle Davis, John Jefferies, Caleb Miller, Josh Pirkle, Anton Reed, Emma Reyes and Deyton Riddle. They were accompanied by Dr. Daniel Castaneda, assistant professor of civil engineering and faculty advisor for the Pre-ASCE chapter. 

The impetus for the challenge was to both instruct and test the students’ skills in volumetric design, construction, teamwork and time management. Other challenges at the symposium involved designing a steel bridge and constructing a concrete canoe. ASU plans to enter the Steel Bridge Design Challenge in 2018. 

Students at the symposium also attended a career fair and seminars on sustainability and safety, as well as on creating résumés, interviewing for a job, planning for future careers, networking, communication, self-marketing and practical finances.