Engineering students win concrete construction competition

A team of UNC Charlotte engineering technology and construction management students won the 2015 Concrete Construction Competition sponsored by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC).

This international competition was open to all university, college and technical schools. Winning team members from the Lee College of Engineering were Hunter Ballard, Joshua Beitz, Ashton Crabtree (project manager), Carter Dold and Mark Stevenson. Tara Cavalline, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Construction Management, was the team’s faculty advisor.

For the competition, students developed solutions to a project problem statement issued by ACI. The 2015 problem required teams to evaluate two concrete placement methods for construction of a concrete foundation wall and provide a reasoned recommendation. Responses were judged on the basis of clarity, technical quality and economy.

“I’m extremely proud of the team,” Cavalline said. “These students worked hard to develop a comprehensive solution. Solving this problem required them perform design calculations, prepare a schedule and a cost estimate and think through construction considerations and challenges that could be encountered based upon their recommended placement method.”