SIUE Engineering Students Claim 4th Place in International Competition
Six Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering construction management students successfully competed at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Spring 2014 Convention in Reno, Nev., March 27. The SIUE team finished fourth in the Concrete Bowling Ball competition and 11th place overall.
SIUE competed against 31 teams from Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Each team entered bowling balls made of concrete. The balls were evaluated on the mass and diameter, as well as toughness, deformation and bowling performance.
In addition to their strong performance in competition, the SIUE ACI chapter accepted the 2013 Excellent University Award, the highest award for ACI Student Chapters. The chapter earned the award for its outstanding student and faculty involvement in ACI committees, meetings, events and community outreach.
Construction management seniors Tony Probst of Dieterich, Newton’s Derek Casey, and Justin Huelsmann of Highland, along with civil engineering senior Andrew Wilder of Effingham, led the chapter. Juniors Ryan Toennies of Aviston and Blake Grinestaff from Effingham round out the team. The faculty advisor is Dr. Anne Werner, assistant professor in the Department of Construction.
“The SIUE ACI chapter continues to demonstrate excellent teamwork and performance in international competition,” said Dr. Chris Gordon, School of Engineering associate dean and chair of the Department of Construction. “Dr. Werner and the ACI leadership team have a clear passion for concrete.
“Through their hard work, our students have honed their leadership skills, gained beneficial experience in concrete material behavior and amplified SIUE’s outstanding reputation in concrete construction.”
The SIUE team was runner-up in a regional ACI competition earlier in the spring semester.
