K-State Concrete Canoe team takes first at Mid-America Student Symposium

Concrete Canoe team members Campbell Gaskill, Keegan Harris, Tyla Lang and Michael Dishman row Apidae, the canoe the team designed and built, at the Mid-America Student Symposium regional competition in Lincoln, Nebraska. | Download this photo.

The Kansas State University Concrete Canoe team took first place at its regional competition at the Mid-America Student Symposium in Lincoln, Nebraska, April 3-5.

The win at the regional event for the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, gives the K-State team the opportunity to compete at the national competition held on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, June 27-29. This will be the team's second straight trip to the national competition.

The event challenges participants to create a functioning canoe made of concrete. The process includes designing a hull, performing structural analysis and designing a concrete mixture that satisfies the strength requirements found in the structural analysis. Teams are judged for their final product, design paper, oral presentation and race results. Races include men's and women's sprints and endurance races.

This year’s canoe, “Apidae,” was named for the largest family of bees and incorporated the theme into several design elements. The canoe’s exterior finish included dark brown and yellow colors to represent honey and natural wood tones. The final aesthetic design also featured a colored concrete honeycomb and wood grain inlay.

Abbi Clark, club president and senior in civil engineering, Wamego, said this year’s canoe is an improved version of last year’s segmented design.

“This year was about building upon last year’s strong foundation,” Clark said. “Last year, the team brought the first known multi-segmented, post-tensioned canoe to the student championships. This year we had the opportunity to continue pushing the envelope in ASCE concrete canoe with Apidae, a refined and improved version of last year’s canoe. She’s lighter, faster and a whole lot prettier.”

Also competing at the Mid-America Student Symposium was K-State’s Steel Bridge team, which took third place at the event. The delegation from K-State also took first place in Prediction Accuracy for the 3D Printed Bridge competition, fourth place in the Concrete Cornhole competition, fifth place in the First- and Second-Year Design Challenge, and fifth in the Concrete Bowling competition.

“This year the team had a focus on diversifying our team members’ background and experience,” Clark said. “In the last two years, our team has expanded from primarily civil engineering students to now include a range of majors both in and outside of the College of Engineering. The recent expansion of the team has allowed us to generate new ideas and compete in more of the ASCE Mid-America Student Symposium competitions.”

Kayleigh Bednar, senior in industrial engineering, Liberty, Missouri, said the team has changed for the better during her four-year stint.

“Expanding our team to students beyond engineering has proven to be an asset to our overall success,” Bednar said. “Not only does it allow for interdisciplinary collaboration, but our problem solving and creativity have grown over time. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as a team, and I am looking forward to presenting Apidae on a national stage.”

Members of K-State's Concrete Canoe team. Front, from left: Abbi Clark, Jenna Haas, Ally Hower, Campbell Gaskill, Cooper Willoughby, Zoe Harris and Lilianna Blaufuss. Middle: Keegan Harris, Carson Beach, Tyla Lang, Carter France, Thomas Moore, Nathan Streeter and Christopher Jones, professor of civil engineering. Back: Elle Dragone, Lindsay Schupp, Aidan Torrez, Ethan Holder, Michael Dishman, Kayleigh Bednar, advisor Kevin McLain, Aaron Robertson, Mason Lofton, Sean Slattery and Ian Schultz. | Download this photo.

Members of the 2024-2025 Concrete Canoe team include:

Ethan Holder, senior in construction science management, Andover; Thomas Moore, freshman in civil engineering, Carbondale; Keegan Harris, junior in construction science management, Columbus; Elle Dragone, senior in civil engineering, and Ally Hower, junior in architectural engineering, both from Council Grove; Sean Slattery, junior in civil engineering, Dodge City; Mason Lofton, sophomore in mechanical engineering, Kansas City; Campbell Gaskill, junior in math education, Lindsborg; Tyla Lang, sophomore in construction science management, McPherson; Carter France, senior in mechanical engineering, Olathe; Lindsay Schupp, senior in chemical engineering, Oskaloosa; Aaron Robertson, junior in chemical engineering, Prairie Village; Michael Dishman, junior in civil engineering, and Jenna Haas, junior in accounting, both from Pratt; Nathan Streeter, senior in civil engineering, Salina; Aidan Torrez, junior in construction science management, Spring Hill; Ian Schulz, senior in mechanical engineering, Tecumseh; Abbi Clark, senior in civil engineering, Wamego; Liliana Blaufuss, freshman in civil engineering, Westphalia; Zoe Harris, freshman in architectural engineering, Wichita.

From out of state: Kayleigh Bednar, senior in industrial engineering, Liberty, Missouri; Carson Beach, junior in civil engineering, Weatherby, Missouri; Cooper Willoughby, sophomore in chemical engineering, Bennington, Nebraska.

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