The Concrete Canoe Design Team at Missouri University of Science and Technology placed second at their first trip to the American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Student Championship, held June 25-27 in Fairmont, West Virginia. The team competed against 25 other teams from across the U.S., as well as teams from Canada, China, and India.  

“I am most proud of how our team has grown over the past few years,” says team president Kellen Badgley, a recent graduate in civil engineering from Carl Junction, Missouri. “It’s been incredible to watch us grow from 15 members whose canoe broke on the way to regionals my first year, to 45 members who won the Mid-America region for the first time in our 52-year history and placed 2nd in the world in our first-ever appearance at the championships.” 

Missouri S&T’s team scored in the top five for its project proposal and product prototype, and came within 0.2 points of first place for the technical presentation of the design. The team also competed in a series of sprint and slalom races. Competing canoes must be sturdy enough to carry four people, but light and buoyant enough to have at least six inches of each side above the water line. When all the scores were tallied, Missouri S&T was only 2.8 points behind the overall first place team.      

“Going into the championships, we didn’t know what to expect,” says Badgley, “but it was awesome to watch everyone realize that all their hard work had paid off and that we could compete with the best. Seeing the shock and excitement on everyone’s faces when the results were announced is something I’ll remember forever.” 

Students who traveled to the competition include:   

• Drew Angle, a junior in civil engineering from Glen Carbon, Illinois  

• Kellen Badgley, a recent graduate in civil engineering from Carl Junction, Missouri  

• Luke Barnett, a junior in mechanical engineering from Troy, Illinois  

• Maddox Berlener, a junior in mechanical engineering from Eldon, Missouri  

• Madi Burgard, a junior in civil engineering and architectural engineering from Wildwood, Missouri  

• Aubrey Cox, a junior in civil engineering from Liberty, Missouri  

• Emma Eberhart, a junior in architectural engineering from Nashville, Illinois  

• Grant Ernsting, a junior in civil engineering from Blue Springs, Missouri  

• Ankit Goswami, a junior in environmental engineering from Oakville, Missouri  

• Liam Greil, a recent graduate in civil engineering from Dittmer, Missouri  

• Oliwia Kazmierczak, a sophomore in civil engineering and architectural engineering from Fenton, Missouri  

• Lena Mais, a junior in civil engineering from Battlefield, Missouri  

• Grant Millsap, a senior in architectural engineering from Creve Coeur, Missouri 

• Catherine Skaggs, a senior in chemistry from Saint Charles, Missouri 

• Jay Shuler, a junior in civil engineering from Pleasant Hill, Missouri  

• Daniel Titcomb, a sophomore in civil engineering from Winfield, Illinois  

• Zoe Warden, a first-year student in architectural engineering from Bolivar, Missouri  

• Ava Weiman, a sophomore in biomedical engineering from Palmyra, Missouri  

• Jane Yates, a recent graduate in environmental engineering from Knob Noster, Missouri. 

 About Missouri University of Science and Technology 

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.