Teams of Youngstown State University engineering students continue to prove their project prowess by heading to the national Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge competitions.

During the Eastern Great Lakes regional competition in Detroit, Michigan both teams took home first-place finishes, qualifying for their respective national competitions.

The Canoe event requires teams to design and construct a seaworthy canoe made entirely of concrete and compete in four categories - design paper, oral presentation, final product, and several racing events.

The Bridge competition tests the team’s metal to develop and build a scale-model steel bridge that must span approximately 20 feet and carry 2,500 pounds.

Teams must determine how to fabricate their bridge and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction at the competition.

In addition to scoring first overall, the Steel Bridge team claimed first place in construction speed, lightness, stiffness, cost estimate, economy, and efficiency.

Besides scoring the first overall prize, the Concrete Canoe team earned first place in the final product prototype, the men’s slalom race, and the women’s slalom race.

Guided by Faculty Advisor, Anwarul Islam, professor of Civil Engineering, this is the Penguins' third consecutive year that both teams came home with the top prize in regionals, beating more than 15 teams including Case Western Reserve University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Akron and Cleveland State University.

The Steel Bridge team has placed first in five of the last six regional contests, while the Concrete Canoe team has won four of the last five.

 

L to R: Klea Shehu, Nathan Chalus, Jacob Huzyak, Zachary Glavic, Marshall Sarisky, Michael Sandora
L to R: Klea Shehu, Nathan Chalus, Jacob Huzyak, Zachary Glavic, Marshall Sarisky, Michael Sandora  

 The 2023 National Steel Bridge Competition will be held at the University of California – San Diego on June 2 and 3, and the National Concrete Canoe Competition will be held at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville between June 10 to June 12.

The Steel Bridge team is comprised of members Nathan Chalus, Civil Engineering major, Homestead, Pennsylvania; Zachary Glavic, Civil Engineering, Canfield, Ohio; Jacob Huzyak, STEM First Year Engineering major, North Canton, Ohio; Michael Sandora, Electrical Engineering major, New Castle, Pennsylvania; Marshall Sarisky, Civil Engineering major, Youngstown, Ohio; and Klea Shehu, First Year Engineering major, Tirana, Albania.

The Concrete Canoe members are Bailey Brothag, STEM First Year Engineering major, Youngstown, Ohio; Evan Fink, Engineering major, Strongsville, Ohio; Jersey Gorby, Civil Engineering major, Youngstown, Ohio; Emily Honthy, undecided, Youngstown, Ohio; Alicia Lonsinger, Civil Engineering major, Walhonding, Ohio; Kayla Mathias, STEM First Year Engineering major, Mercer, Pennsylvania; Joe Remish, Civil Engineering, Canfield, Ohio; Michael Sandora, Electrical Engineering major, New Castle, Pennsylvania; Morgan Scott, Civil Engineering major, Hiram, Ohio; Cassandra Snopik, Business Administration major, Mount Gilead, Ohio; Elizabeth Williams, Industrial and Systems Engineering major, Brunswick, Ohio; and Christine Zheng, STEM First Year Engineering major, Youngstown, Ohio.