Arizona State University
ASU Students Win Concrete Bowling Ball Competition
At the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Convention in Los Angeles, five students from the CIM program in Arizona State University’s Del E. Webb School of Construction took first prize in a concrete bowling ball design competition.
The team included Vern Loraditch (junior), Jennifer Harris (junior), Kendra Warner (freshman), Jay Baracree (freshman), Wes Morrill (sophomore) and Luke Snell (faculty advisor and director of the CIM program). To win the competition, the students designed and created a fiber-reinforced lightweight concrete bowling ball and accurately predicted the load that would cause a one-inch deflection in it.
The annual competition challenges teams of students to develop a bowling ball that will be successful in both a roll test and a load test. The ACI sets very strict criteria regarding the materials that can be used, and each ball is checked thoroughly before it is qualified to compete in the tests.
The competition’s objectives are to demonstrate the effect of fibers in reinforcing concrete, to give students practical experience in forming and fabricating a concrete element and to encourage creativity in engineering design. This year’s competition drew teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada and the U.S.
The CIM team from ASU began early preparations for this project in January. After working with Southwest Architectural Castings to create a mold for their bowling ball, the team began testing various mix designs. Five different mixes were experimented with before the final selection was made. The team fabricated five bowling balls with their final mix and tested two of them to determine the structural behavior of the concrete. This allowed the team to develop their accurate prediction to secure their first place win.
The CIM program at ASU is relatively new but is quickly establishing itself as a strong power in ACI Student Competitions. Earlier this academic year, ASU CIM students won fourth place in the Concrete Cubes Competition and fourth place in the Concrete Construction Competition.
Luke M. Snell Receives "Concrete Council Award of Honor"
“For his outstanding contributions to ACI’s educational, certification, chapter and international programs that have greatly enhanced the effectiveness and impact of the Institute.”
Luke M. Snell is the Director of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program in the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University.
He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and Algeria. He has also written over 200 articles on concrete, construction materials and construction education.
Snell is the Chair of the ACI International Committee and ACI Committee 120, History of Concrete. He is or has been a member of ACI Committees 517, Accelerated Curing of Concrete (discharged); E702, Designing Concrete Structures; the Construction Liaison Committee; Financial Activities Committee; and the Chapter Activities Committee. He is a Past Chair of ACI Committees 517, Accelerated Curing of Concrete; E702, Designing Concrete Structures; the ACI Chapter Activities Committee; and the Educational Activities Committee.
Snell is an ACI Fellow and received the ACI Joe W. Kelly Award in 1995, the ACI Chapter Activities Award in 1997 and was the ACI Educational Committee Member of the Year in 2002. He has received various other awards and was named one of the Ten Most Influential People of the Year in the Concrete Industry by Concrete Construction and Concrete Producer magazines in 2007.
His research interests include construction materials and concrete construction. Snell received his BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma University in 1969 and 1970, respectively. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri, Illinois and Arizona.
Interest in CIM Program Continues to Grow
A record 27 students are registered for the upper-level CIM 494 class for the Spring 2008 Semester. This record number represents the continuing growth and popularity of the CIM Program at Arizona State University.
Download ASU's CIM newsletter for additional information, updates and stories.
California State University, Chico
CIM Students Participate in Historic Concrete Investigations at D-Day Site
As a result of their professor’s connections to colleagues at Texas A&M University, five CIM students from California State University, Chico, had the rare opportunity of traveling to France to assist in the evaluation of historic concrete bunkers on Pointe-du-Hoc, Normandy. Pointe-du-Hoc was the site of the historic World War II D-Day landing in June 1944.
Tanya Wattenburg Komas, the students’ professor of a class in Concrete Repair and Preservation, part of the CIM program, holds a Ph.D. in architecture and a certificate in historic preservation from Texas A&M University. Her colleagues at Texas A&M are part of an effort to evaluate the entire site of the historic landing for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). As part of the effort, the Texas A&M team was to survey the site and evaluate the cliffs on which the concrete structures rest. Komas and the CIM students were given the opportunity to evaluate the concrete used in bunkers and other structures, completing laboratory tests on concrete samples from the site.
In March, the team traveled to Normandy and conducted on-site testing of the structures. “We used state-of-the-art ultra-sonic pulse testing equipment loaned to us by companies that use this same equipment to evaluate new bridges, dams and other structures,” said Komas. The students produced an “existing conditions” report that combines the previous laboratory testing results and the upcoming fieldwork results. This will serve as the basis for proposing the next phase of the work at the site for which federal funding is being sought.
Point-du-Hoc is the most culturally important site of the 1944 World War II Normandy invasion. This was where Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder led elements of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in a mission to destroy a 155mm cannon capable of firing on troops and ships landing on Utah and Omaha beaches (Ambrose 1989, Historical Division, U.S. War Department 1946, Lane 1994, McDonald 2000). An American Military Cemetery is located above the cliffs.
Pointe-du-Hoc is a medium coastal battery consisting of a variety of structures, such as gun emplacements, casemates and personnel and ammunition bunkers. Constructed as part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall campaign, it was strategically placed between the Utah and Omaha invasion beaches. The site was designated a class A Historic Site by the French Government on 28 February 1955. It was formally transferred to the ABMC, a small, independent agency of the Executive Branch of the federal government, on January 11, 1979.
View full story and additional photos
Middle Tennessee State University
Busy Spring Semester with MTSU's CIM Program
The CIM Program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) has had a very full Spring semester, with travel, company socials and interviews. Members of the MTSU CIM faculty and staff accompanied students on various trips during the early part of the semester.
Sixteen students attended World of Concrete in Las Vegas in January; eight students attended MCPX in Denver in February; eight students attended the NRMCA Annual Conference March 8 – 10; while another ten attended CONEXPO/CON-AGG with a staff member March 11 – 15. Four students are attending the Command Alkon Conference from April 21 – 24.
The “social season” was in full swing this semester, with 19 companies hosting socials almost every Tuesday and Thursday evening and then conducting interviews the following day at the University. A final social will occur at the end of April, hosted by ten construction companies together with interviews the following day.
The week of April 28th will be a very busy week for MTSU faculty and staff. On April 29th our CIM Patrons have a meeting scheduled on campus. The CIM EAC (Executive Advisory Counsel) will meet on campus the following day, April 30th. And to top off the meeting part of our week, we will host the National Steering Committee on May 1st.
Tucked in between meetings will be our annual CIM Golf Tournament on the afternoon of May 30th at Indian Hills Country Club in Murfreesboro. We are looking forward to a great turnout and a lot of fun!
Concrete Plant Manufacturers Bureau Commits to MTSU CIM Scholarship
At its 2008 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, the Concrete Plant Manufacturers Bureau (CPMB) members voted unanimously to create a CPMB scholarship for a deserving student in the MTSU CIM program. The scholarship will be available beginning with the Fall semester and will provide $2,500 per semester for two semesters (provided a minimum B GPA is maintained). The recipient will be selected by the CIM faculty. For more information about the CPMB and its members, visit www.cpmb.org or contact Nicole Maher at 240-485-1158 or nmaher@cpmb.org.
2008 MTSU CIM Graduating Class
The MTSU CIM Program will graduate approximately 55 students this spring and summer. To keep up with this continued expansion in the CIM Program, we are currently conducting a search for a new CIM Professor for the Fall semester.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJIT CIM Gala Raises Over $100,000
"Packed to the rafters" describes this year's CIM fundraiser for NJIT, which raised more than $100,000. Held February 23 at Valbella, one of Manhattan’s most exclusive restaurants, the special evening featured six different wines from around the world paired with an elaborate four-course meal. The event owes its success to the host committee for ensuring this becomes an annual event not to be missed. Towards the end of the year, be on the look out for your invitation for next year's gala, and respond quickly since this event will sell out. Proceeds from the event support the Northeast Region CIM Scholarship fund at NJIT. NJIT Thanks the Host Committee, Events Sponsors and all the patrons of the event!
Meet Mark Bishop - An Interview with NJIT’s First CIM Graduate
This August, eager NJIT Senior Mark Bishop will become the first graduate of the CIM program at NJIT.
What interested you in CIM?
The program caught my eye because I was bored in Civil Engineering and did not see myself doing that for the rest of my life. The concrete industry is constantly changing and is always looking for best people to work in it.
How do you feel about being the first graduate in CIM at NJIT?
I feel honored to be the first graduate of the program. It is really rewarding to find something that you really like and enjoy, and because of that, do extremely well in your classes.
How do you feel about your job outlook?
I feel that the concrete market is endless in opportunities and there is something for everyone. The industry is very willing to help you find a job or an internship, and the people that come and talk to the classes are very willing to help too.
What job title or job responsibilities would you like to do?
I hope to do the managing end of it. I am taking my ACI certification now, and I hope to mix office and field work so that this way I am always challenged and my interests will always be stimulated. My goal is to become an upper-level manager or president of a large concrete production or products facility one day.