Michigan Tech students apply concrete to the inside of concrete canoe as they prepare for competition.
Welcome to Michigan Tech!

More than 15 collegiate teams from the Eastern Great Lakes Region of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are coming together at Michigan Tech from April 10-12 to compete in design, build, and performance contests that test their capabilities.

Pour. Paddle. Weld. Build. Win. 

An academic year's worth of effort, built on a proud tradition of tenacity and competitive excellence, culiminates in the 2025 Eastern Great Lakes Region ASCE Symposium hosted at Michigan Tech. Campus and community members are invited to come out April 10-12 and watch the action as university students from around the region demonstrate their skills.

 

Eastern Great Lakes ASCE Student Symposium

The fastest. The strongest. The smartest design. It’s all on the line when university students from around the eastern Great Lakes compete in Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and Timber Strong contests. More than 400 students from 15+ universities will put what they’ve designed and built to the test in judged exhibitions at Michigan Tech’s Gates Tennis Center and, weather permitting, at Houghton City Beach on the Keweenaw Waterway.

Michigan Tech has a long history of success in the ASCE steel bridge and concrete canoe competition, and has performed well in the relatively new Timber Strong contest. But this is the first time the University has hosted a regional qualifier for nationals—and our Husky Pride is in high gear as roughly 400 competitors and supporters from institutions of higher learning in Michigan and Ohio head to Tech. The Eastern Great Lakes Region ASCE Student Symposium is one of 22 being held around the nation. Winners will proceed to nationals. 

The campus and the public are invited to join us April 10-12.

Meet Our MTU Teams

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2025 ASCE Eastern Great Lakes Student Symposium Schedule
Event Day Time Location
Company Tables Thurs - Sat, Apr 10 - 12, 2025 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Gates Tennis Center, adjacent to the Michigan Tech Student Development Complex
Registration/Check In Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Memorial Union Building Ballroom, Michigan Tech main campus
Concrete Canoe Presentations Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Memorial Union Building Ballroom B until 12 p.m. ATDC from 1 - 4 p.m.
Symposium Paper Presentations Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 12 - 4 p.m. Memorial Union Building Ballroom B
Surveying Presentations/Displays Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 12 - 3 p.m. Great Lakes Research Center Conference Room 202
Construction Institution Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 12:30 - 4 p.m. Memorial Union Building Superior Room
Welcome Dinner Thurs, Apr 10, 2025 5:30 - 8 p.m. Memorial Union Building Ballroom
Concrete Canoe Stands and Displays Fri, Apr 11, 2025 8 - 10 a.m. Gates Tennis Center
Concrete Canoe Races/Swamp Testing Fri, Apr 11, 2025 12 - 5 p.m. Chutes and Ladders, East Houghton Waterfront Park
Surveying Competition  Fri, Apr 11, 2025 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mont Ripley
Sustainable Solutions Presentations Fri, Apr 11, 2025 12:20 - 1 p.m. Noblet Building 144, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
Water Treatment Competition Fri, Apr 11, 2025 1 - 3 p.m. Gates Tennis Center
ASCE Pop-Up Leadership Workshop: The FE Exam and the Path to the PE Fri, Apr 11, 2025 4 - 5 p.m. Noblet Building G002, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences 
Steel Bridge Competition Sat, Apr 12, 2025 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Gates Tennis Center
Timber Strong Competition Sat, Apr 12, 2025 1 - 4 p.m. Gates Tennis Center
Concrete Novelty Sat, Apr 12, 2025 1 - 3 p.m. Outside Gates Tennis Center
ASCE Pop-Up Leadership Workshop: What Would You Do? Ethics and Professional Conduct Sat, Apr 12, 2025 3 - 4 p.m. Noblet Building 144, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences 
ASCE Pop-Up Leadership Workshop: What Is Your Personality Type? Understanding Each Other Sat, Apr 12, 2025 4 - 5 p.m. Noblet Building 144, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences 
Banquet/Awards Ceremony, business casual attire is highly recommended Sat, Apr 12, 2025 7 - 9:30 p.m. John MacInnes Hockey Arena, Michigan Tech Student Development Complex, parking in Lot 24
"I think students join Concrete Canoe because they want to have fun applying their engineering knowledge, but also because they want to be a part of a greater team. Leadership skills really grow on the team. There are so many opportunities for members to step up."Lydia Lamey ’25, co-captain, Michigan Tech Concrete Canoe

How to assemble  a steel bridge in seven minutes or less.

"This competition is a part of our rich history as a Husky Nation, that shows the tenacity and success we share as Huskies, that we all should take pride in."2017 Michigan Tech Steel Bridge Team
  • 3
    Michigan Tech is one of the three schools in the first steel bridge competition in 1987.
  • '91
    Huskies on Michigan Tech’s Concrete Canoe team have been taking part in “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering” since 1991.
  • 1,000
    person-hours of practice in the five concrete canoe race categories on the Keweenaw Waterway (and during winter the MTU pool). 
  • 85°
    combined air-water temperature required for the concrete canoe races to take place.
  • 800
    design hours, 1,000 hours of fabrication, and 650 hours of build practice on average for a 23-foot-long steel bridge.