Nick Landen and Derek Stonebraker

Emre Insel

PCI Announces 2006 Engineering Design Awards (Big Beam Contest)

January 9, 2007 - UW civil engineering students were awarded honorable mention in the recent 2006 PCI Engineering Design Awards Big Beam Contest. Two teams from UW competed in the competition along with the University of Nebraska, University of Illinois, Oregon State University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the University of Idaho, and the University of Texas. Students competing from UW were Chris Askin, Austin Fleak, Derek Stonebraker, Nick Landen, Sarah Kemper, Matt Jensen, Clint Cummings, Chris Patterson, and Eric Jaap, under faculty advising coordinator Dr. Charles Dolan.

The team of Askin, Fleak, Stonebraker, and Landen prepared a beam design intended to maximize the capacity of the concrete at different sections of the beam, while minimizing the total weight. Group members agreed that “the most important thing learned from this project was the shear reinforcement requirements.” The second team of Kemper, Jensen, Cummings, Patterson, and Jaap, proposed a prestressed t-shaped concrete beam design intended to minimize weight load and cost of construction.

The PCI Student Education Committee invited entries from students in civil engineering related fields to participate in the Engineering Student Design Competition. Any student enrolled in a 2-year degree program, a 4-or 5 year baccalaureate degree program or a graduate program in Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, Architectural Engineering or Building Sciences/Technology was eligible to enter.

Students worked with PCI Producer Members on testing of the projects and both UW teams were sponsored by Rocky Mountain Prestress, John W. Hanlon, P.E., and the College of Engineering. Each student will receive an award of $50 from PCI and Sika Inc. for their honorable mention design.