SIOUX CENTER, IA (03/26/2013)(readMedia)-- Area students are part of Dordt College's concrete canoe team working to create the college's canoe for the third year in a row. Participants include :
Erin Conley of West Liberty, Iowa, is a senior majoring in engineering. Conley is serving on the administration committee and the paddling team.
Brendan Conley of West Liberty, Iowa, is a sophomore majoring in engineering. Conley is serving on the concept design committee and the paddling team.
The 200-pound canoe will be entered into the annual Concrete Canoe Competition held by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The regional competition is slated for Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, at the University of Minnesota-Mankato. Dordt's 2012 Kernel placed third regionally and the 2011 Cannon took fifth.
This year's canoe earned the Greek name Koinonia, a word meaning "fellowship," the team said. "As a smaller college with fewer students in our engineering department than larger schools, our concrete canoe team has a unique opportunity to reach out to other majors and organizations on campus for recruiting and support," reads the project's executive summary. "To reflect this campus-wide effort as well as the relationships built during the year on the team, the theme for the canoe this year is 'community.'"
The Greek theme is carried into the design as well as it resembles classical Greek pottery. "The terracotta dye for the concrete combined with black concrete and stains for detailing give Koinonia a distinctly Greek look," the summary continued. "The outside face of the canoe is lined with people holding hands drawn in Greek style as a visual representation of community."
Examining and learning from their work from the last two years the team came up with ways to save on water usage during the curing process. This year, a new misting recycling system was designed and built to re-use the misting water. Other environmental and economic issues were considered during the design process, including reusing foam and molds from last year to decrease waste and cost.
Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. U.S. News & World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,400 students. To learn more about Dordt College, visit www.dordt.edu.
