In 2019 and 2020, I served as the Hull Design Lead for the Michigan Concrete Canoe Team. As the lead, I was responsible for steering my subteam of 5 other members to design canoes for both paddling performance and structural integrity. I used various hydrostatic parameters and coefficients, such as heel, tipping angle, and the prismatic, block, and waterplane coefficients, to design canoes with increased stability that would resist tipping while also maintaining the straight-line and turning behaviors of previous canoes. Computational bending moment calculations were combined with static beam analysis of the canoe to determine the material properties of the concrete that were necessary for the canoe to remain intact in a variety of loading conditions.
My senior year, I was given the opportunity to contribute to the team as captain. This was a very rewarding experience and it has led to incredible growth in my leadership style and project planning. As captain, I interacted with all 13 executive board members and, to a lesser degree, all 25 general members. I had a responsibility for ensuring communication and agreement between subteams, representing the team to sponsors and vendors, preparing competition submissions, and listening to the ideas and messages of the team’s members. Due to COVID-19, many of the team’s practices have shifted and I spent a lot of time insuring that the team could continue in a responsible and meaningful manner.