Requests for Information

All RFIs for ASCE Society competitions must be sent to [email protected] according the rules for each competition.  RFIs for Society competitions are reviewed by the competition committee and posted on the designated platform as outlined in the rules.  ASCE Southeast Student Symposium hosts cannot answer RFIs for Society competitions which include:

• ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition – (1/29/24 – last day to submit an RFI)
• AISC/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition – (4-29/24 – last day to submit an RFI –here)
• ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition – (2/7/24 – last day to submit an RFI)
• ASCE/UESI Surveying Competition – (2/7/24 – last day to submit an RFI)
• ASCE Construction Institute Competition – (2/7/24 – last day to submit an RFI)
• Timber-Strong Design Build Competition – (2/7/24 – last day to submit an RFI)
• 3D Printing Competition – (2/7/24 – last day to submit an RFI)

Submit an RFI for an ASCE Society Competition: [email protected] 

All RFIs for ASCE Southeast Student Symposium regional competitions must be sent here.  Responses to RFIs will be posted below as they come in.  

Submit an RFI for a regional competition: [email protected] 

ASCE Construction Institute Student Symposium Competition

1. Regarding the competition rules, the dimension criteria section provided the dimensions of 5’x’5’x3’ as a minimum for the sculpture and under the presentation requirements, a summary list of final cost with dimensions of 11’x17’. The use of the apostrophe in both dimension criteria suggests that both should be in feet but we’re wondering if you meant to use a quotation mark instead (meaning inches instead of feet). We’re assuming the printed summary should be presented in 11×17 inches, but this confusion raises doubts regarding the actual size of the sculpture that we will be presenting. Should it be 5x5x3 inches or 5x5x3 feet?

1. For clarification – the construction documents are 11×17 (inches), the sculpture is in (feet).

GeoWall Competition

1. Since the submittal will consist of a single pdf, will the cover page be necessary?
2. Would the requirements stated on section 4 be the exact same for the regional competitions? (specifically, section 4b,4c, 4d and the formatting requirements)
3. Do the rules for the national competition apply to the regional competition?
4. Regarding the installation of PVC pipe components: will the pipe be required to be placed in the appropriate position at the beginning of the compaction/construction stage of the competition or once the compaction has reached the specified dimension height within the box. We understand the pipe will be secured with screws until the construction stage is finished and the screws will come off during the loading stage but at what point during the construction stage should the pipe be installed into its temporary fixed position.
5. When mentioning “removal of pipe restraints”, does this means that the pipe will be without the screws when in loading stage?
6. On figure 6 (Poster board wall) , does it mean that the poster board wall will be in front of the kraft paper as a base for the kraft paper to rest and attached both with tape?
7. If the Geo-wall team’s report was submitted to Nationals, and accepted, would that team participating in Regionals automatically be placed above other team’s reports/points, or is it a different system?
8.  For the sand used for the Geo-wall competition, could we please get more details and properties of the sand (since it will be different from the sand used in National Level competitions).
9. Where is the facing material (poster board) placed inside the sandbox? And is it removed at all during the competition once it is placed?

1. The submittal consists of one pdf document which can include more than one page.
2. In the Submittal section of the regional rules document it states “The Design Report Submittal will include the items outlined in Section 4”. Section 4f is the only item that is not required for the Regional GeoWall competition.
3. For GeoWall, the rules document posted on our website states under Rules and Regulations “Please review the national rules for the GeoWall Competition specifications and requirements.”
4. Per Section 10- Execution of the rules, under b) Wall Assembly it states “The assembly stage is complete when the facing material is properly folded and trimmed, all the reinforcing elements are attached to the facing, the wall is placed in the sandbox, and both the tie rod and PVC pipe are properly in place. No sand is added to the box in this stage.” The Assembly Stage comes before the Construction Phase.
5. Yes. The first step of the Loading Stage is to remove the pipe restraints and front panel. The Material Specifications in Appendix B defines pipe restraints as “any suitable removable screws”.
6. Yes. Per Section 10b, the wall will be assembled by attaching the reinforcement elements (kraft paper) to the wall facing (poster board).
7. Congratulations! The judging team will be made aware of your acceptance to the National Competition. All reports submitted will be scored by the regional judging team using Appendix C.
8. The properties of the sand that will be used for the GeoWall Competition were released in Mailer II. Per competition rules, teams will be allowed to examine a sample of the backfill material (sand) at the Captains Meeting on Thursday March 21^st.
9. Poster board is going to be placed along the open edge of the sandbox. The intent of the poster board is to serve as the wall facing. It will not be removed.

Jacobs Solutioneering Competition

1. Will the floodmaps given on conference day be from storm surge or rainfall, or both?
2. How big is the scope of the project to other disciplines such as structures, transportation, etc. when we are given information on competition day that pertains to water resources?
3. Can we use measuring tools like a protractor during the competition?
4. Can we use a calculator during the competition?
5. Can we use a technical report template at competition?
6. Can we use printouts at competition or download resources for the competition?
7. According to Section 3 of the Rules, “a computer is permitted for viewing PDFs and typing the report”. Are the PDFs allowed to be made by competitors, or will they be pre-made PDF files that we will not see until competition day?

1. The floodmaps given have not been finalized, but anticipate incorporating a floodmap based on storm surge at this time.
2. The required scope for each discipline will be mostly conceptual and high level thinking. For instance, a structural’ s standpoint might be determining whether certain areas might be at a higher risk because they were built farther in the past than other areas and how this might impact your strategy. I will look to provide a clear brief about what disciplines to look out for during the competition start.
3. Measuring instruments will be allowed.
4. Calculators will be allowed; however, I do not anticipate too much to calculate.
5. A template that only features headers, paragraph sections etc. is allowed. Templates that have paragraphs already written are not allowed.
6. Measuring instruments will be allowed.
7. There will be PDF’s provided to students on the day of the competition that have additional information needed to complete the challenge. The intent with the rule is to prevent students from utilizing any sort of generative software or the internet to produce writing that is not explicitly their own.

FPCA & PCI Mini Prestressed Beam Competition

1. Do you have the anticipated compressive strength that the concrete would have after one day of setting?
2. What brand of guitar strings would be provided the competition?
3. What is the specifications of the screw?
4. Are we build the Casting Form or will it be constructed for us?
5. What is the design strength of the concrete (f’c)?
6. What are the steel properties (fy) of the bass guitar strings? 
7. The rules outline a maximum width and height of the beam as 6” (height) x 12” (width). Are we to assume that height refers to vertical distance and width refers to horizontal distance?
8. The procedure section indicates that “Concrete mix (by volume) will be provided. Does this mean the concrete will be mixed by others and will be supplied to us already mixed? Or will the concrete mix design be provided to us, and we will have to measure components and mix it ourselves?
9. For each diameter of the guitar strings, how many strings will be in each pack? What is the brand of the guitar strings?  
10. Item 3 in the constraints section indicates that all concrete must be poured by 3pm on March 22^nd . Will all schools start at the same specified time? Or will a different start time be given to each school? Is there a time limit on construction?  
11. In the loading section, L/360 deflection is considered a failure. Typically, “L-over” deflection limitations in structural engineering design are for service conditions and not failure state. If the beam reaches L/360 deflection before the maximum load is reached, is that really considered failure? 
12. Item #2 in the constraints section indicates that the beams must maintain the length of the formwork provided. Is there any tolerance allowed? Will the beam be measured before or after curing and prestress release? We anticipate some shortening due to shrinkage during drying and elastic shortening due to prestress release. 
13. Item #1 in the constraints section states that students may only use the materials and tools provided, but this contradicts the construction section which indicates that students may use various tools such as guitar tuner and glue (items which are not listed in the procedures section). Are students allowed to bring additional tools?  
14. Are students allowed to bring electronic measuring devices?  
15. Is it expected that students will pretension or post tension the beam? Is either method allowed and practical considering your vision of the formwork and materials? In either case, will students be expected to apply the prestressing (either by pulling the strings for post-tensioning or cutting the strings for pretensioning) by 3pm on March 22^nd ? Or can this be done just before testing on March 23rd?  
16. Is the overall length of the beam 24 inches?
17. Do we need to calculate the predicted prestressing force, camber, and achieved loads at midspan?
18. How will the beam be propped up during loading? Will it simply span over (Length of beam) – (6 in from each side)? Will we need to design the end fixities for prestressing?
19. Just to verify, we can have any beam cross-section, so long as it does not exceed 12″ in width and 6″ in height, correct?
20. What is the release agent that will be given to us?
21. What is the total number of bass strings given to us? Would it be 4 strings of each 4 sizes (16 total)?

1. The one-day anticipate compressive strength is 300 psi.  The actual will be given on Sat. morning for teams to recalculate prior to testing.
2. Currently we’re planning to purchase these strings from Sweetwater.com and the brand is Ernie Ball, but brand isn’t a factor in the calculation.  However, please refer to the “Extra Information” for competitor document.
3. # 10 x 1” Self-drilling metal screws from Lowes/Home Depot.
4. A wooden casting box (32”L X 6”H X 12” W) will be provided to each team along with high density foam boards for each team to form their cross-section.
5. The anticipated strength is 300 psi. The actual strength will be given to each Team on Sat. morning prior to testing of beams for re-calculation.
6. It isn’t necessary to know the modulus of elasticity of the string. Each Team will be given 4 packages with 4 types of strings in each. (E string = 0.100”, A = 0.080”, D = 0.065”, & G = 0.045”) The forces of each string can be determined by using Base Guitar Tuner app, which is available and recommended for each Team to download.
7. That is correct. A wooden box (32”L X 6”H X 12”W) will be provided along with high-density foam boards for each Team to form to their specific cross-section.
8. The 0.25 cf (30#) dry mortar mix will be provided in a 5-gallon bucket and ½-gallon or 64 oz of water.  Hand tools will be provided to each team to mix the concrete themselves.  No measurement by the teams is needed.  Judges will cast a cylinder for next day compressive strength testing.
9. There will be 4 different types of strings in each package.  Each team will get 4 packages.  The brand should not matter, but we’re planning to purchase Ernie Ball brand.  Please also see Extra Information for Competitors document attached.
10.  Concrete mortar mixture and water will be given to all teams at the same time.  Casting of beam will have to be completed by 3 pm on Fri., Mar. 22^nd.
11. No.  Beam will be tested to ultimate failure or when load is no longer increased.
12. There’s no tolerance requirement.  Judges will not be measuring beam.  The beam is too short and the concrete does not have high enough strength for shrinkage or shortening to occur that would affect the final results.
13. Students ARE allowed to bring additional tools, but we believe all that you needed to form the beam,  to tension strings, to mix concrete, to cast & finish the concrete will be available on site.
14. Bringing additional tools is allowed, but we will have all the critical tools to complete the casting of the beam.
15.  This is Prestressed Mini-Beam Competition.  Strings will need to be pre-tensioned prior to casting and casting will have to be completed by 3pm on Fri., Mar. 22^nd.
16. The box length is 32” and beam length needs to be the length of the box.
17. You do not need to “predict” prestressing force. See additional information in the “Extra Information for Competitors” document. It is recommended that all teams download the Base Guitar Tuner app prior to arriving at Competition. Camber will NOT be measured or considered. The beam is too short to produce any measurable camber. Predicted/calculated maximum load at midspan is what you need to compare with actual ultimate load.
18. Beam will be placed on supports 1” from each end lengthwise. This is simply a 3-point flexural loading test.
19. That is correct so long as the volume is less than 0.25 cf. That’s the amount of concrete each team gets.
20. We will be using Crete-Lease 880 Release Agent. We’ll have brushes for application purposes, however, we don’t think you’ll need much since the form is brand new.
21. Please refer to number 3 & 9 above, & Extra Information for Competitors document, “Per the Rules of the competition, quantity of strings and location is up to each team.”

T-Shirt Competition

1. When is the design due and how do we submit it?
2. Is it just submitted and judged on the day of the competition, or are we required to send in a digital design prior?

1. Teams will submit their competition T-Shirt on Saturday morning.
2. Nothing is required beforehand.

Concrete Cornhole Competition

1. Is pigment allowed in the mix design to compliment the aesthetics? If so, am I allowed to add an additional row to the mix design template at the bottom?
2. For fiber reinforcement, would glass fiber reinforcement per ASTMC1666 be compliant or is it constrained to ASTMC1116 and reinforcement grids?

1. Pigment is allowed in the mix design. Please include in the mix design if used.
2. Reinforcement is limited to fiber reinforcement (ASTM C1116) or reinforcement grid.

General Information

1. What’s the difference between chapter registration and individual registration? How much does it cost?
2. Our concrete canoe, surveying, and construction institute team captains have changed due to personal reasons- could we make sure the new team captains received all the links and emails instead of the old listed captains?
3. When is the final deadline to submit the Student Symposium Paper for the Southeast Regional Competitions? If it is due Feb 16, is it possible to extend the deadline to March 1? The website I have linked below mentions, “Per the deadlines listed in MAILER I, the Professional Paper is due by March 1 by 11:59 pm EST”.
4. For the hard copies of the concrete canoe reports, do they have to be received by February 16th or postmarked by February 16th?

1. ASCE dictates that fees are charged for the symposium in order to cover the costs to put it in. Individual registration of $85 will be announced in Mailer II. Be sure to check with your Section to see if they provide any additional funding for Student Chapters.
2. Please send us the names and emails of the new captains and who they are replacing at [email protected]. For the Construction Institute Competition, please email Jen Upmeyer at [email protected]  to update your CI Competition Team Member Form.
3. The deadline to submit the Regional Southeast Student Symposium Paper is February 16th, 2024. The Regional competition is an eligibility requirement to advance to advance to an ASCE Society-wide Competition for Concrete Canoe, Student Steel Bridge, UESI Surveying, and Sustainable Solutions. Submissions will be collected electronically through this link.The topic and format for the Regional Competition follows the same guidelines as the National Daniel W. Mead Prize for Students to encourage universities to submit for the national competition. Universities are not required to submit for the national competition. The deadline for the National Competition is not the same as the regional competition. Please visit this link for instructions on how to submit for the National competition.
4. Hard copy submissions of the concrete canoe reports must be postmarked by February 16th.