Deep South Student
Chapter Conference

 Every Spring, civil engineering students around the country participate in a 2-3 day competition that is usually referred to simply as “Conference.” This Spring, The ASCE Student Chapter at The University of Memphis will be hosting “Conference” for all of the students in the ASCE Deep South Region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Tennessee. Nearly 300 students will compete in six events on March 31 and April 1: a steel bridge building competition, concrete canoe races, a professional paper competition, a mystery event, a surveying competition, and a concrete horseshoes tournament. The winners of the steel bridge competition will go on to compete in the 15th Annual National Student Steel Bridge Competition and the winners of the canoe event will go on to compete in the 19th Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition. All of the events on March 31 (including the steel bridge competition) will be held in the University Center at The University of Memphis. All of the events on April 1 (including the concrete canoe competition) will be held at the lake on the Macon Road campus of Southwest Tennessee Community College.

The ASCE Student Chapter is looking for event sponsors to help defray the cost of hosting conference. If your company would like to sponsor or co-sponsor one of the events, please contact Dr. Roger Meier at rwmeier@memphis.edu. An event sponsorship is $500 and a lunch sponsorship is $375. Sponsors will have their logos and company name displayed on the awards banquet program, the conference website, and the conference t-shirts (worn by all of the judges and volunteers) and will receive two tickets to the Saturday night awards banquet. In addition, their company name and logo will be prominently displayed at the event site during the conference.

Echos of the Steel Sewer

In a way that harkened back to the glory days of Civil Engineering athletics of the mid-70s, the ASCE student chapter has again taken to the intramural sports competitions. From a beginning in the fall, the student chapter now has their own team, jerseys, and logo. One certain faculty member suggested the name Steel Sewer Too but that was passed over in favor Enginerds. Success so far has been mixed with the basketball season ending with a first round elimination in the tournament. Hopes are high for future successes as a solid foundation has now been laid.

A note for those of you who do remember the original Steel Sewer: Jim Vest who pitched for the softball team is not the manager of the Larry Finch Recreational Center here on campus.