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2011
2011 Awards Banquet
2011 Calendar
2011 Competitions
2011 Concrete Canoe
2011 GeoChallenge
2011 Mini-Games
Concrete Bowling
Horseshoes
Tug-O-War
Volleyball
2011 Steel Bridge
2011 Technical Paper
2011 Transportation
2011 Water Treatment
2011 Contact Us
2011 FAQ
Concrete Canoe
Geo-Challenge
Question 1: Have the rules for the geotech project (MSE wall) been established yet. If so where can I get them?
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Steel Bridge
Technical Paper
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Transportation
Question 1: Can you tell me anything about the transportation project? We can't find any info.
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Water Treatment
After the design report is submitted, can any alterations be made to our design? A revised, updated copy of the report would be resent.
Are only the tools mentioned in Appendix B allowed during stage 1? For cutting wood, would sawhorses be allowed? Would the sawhorses be counted towards cost?
Are PVC connectors such as couplings and tees allowed?
Are the Maxwell coffee grounds previously used or fresh?
Are we charged for the tools we use for the entire time the operators are in the 10'x10' space, or just for the portion of time that we are actually using that tool?
Are we timed during the build by the judges? Would this time then be added to our score for operator and tool use time?
Can a chemical used for the final treatment be placed in the receptacles used to collect the effluent, i.e. the gallon container for the speed and efficiency portion?
Can deodorant/antiperspirant be considered a garage/household item?
Can graduate students compete?
Can materials be decorated for school spirit prior to the competition?
Can our Brita filters come to the competition prewashed?
Can the hydrogen peroxide be added with the wastewater, or must it be part of the system at the close of the assembly hour?
Can the materials such as 2" x 4" lumber be marked beforehand to save time from having to measure during the day of the competition?
Can the PVC piping be cut prior to the competition? Driving 10' of PVC pipe in a car is difficult. Same question applies to 2" x 4" lumber.
Can we buy items at other hardware stores such as Lowe's, OSH, Ace Hardware, or True Value?
Can we completely remove an item?
Can we have a different person pour water into the system that was not involved in the construction? That way more team members can be involved on competition day.
Can we open a valve within our 10min pour time that starts our system without taking a penalty for interacting with our system?
Do we need to purchase new packages of all our materials for the competition? For example, we have half of a roll of weed control fabric; would we need to bring a new package to the competition for it to be considered unaltered?
Do you know what kind of wetland we're situated next to? Depending on the pH of the wetland and the processes that may be occurring there (e.g. if it is saltwater or freshwater), we may tailor our system design accordingly.
Does the caulk have to go to our materials list since we will be using a caulking gun or are they counted as separate items?
For quantities that have to be measured out such as sand (which can be washed before hand) do we bring the sand in the measured quantities needed already? Or do we have to wash all the sand and measure it at the competition?
For tools may we use a rubber mallet instead of a normal metal-head hammer?
Hardware cloth and rope are both available by the linear foot. In the interest of cost and minimizing materials, can we purchase these items by the foot and have them still considered unaltered for the competition?
How are you going to test nitrate, DO, phosphorus, and turbidity?How are you going to test nitrate, DO, phosphorus, and turbidity?
If we used gravel, is that a bonus item? My captain last year said he did not use it as a bonus item but I could not find it on his list.
Is a Brita water filter an acceptable bonus item?
Is drilling of totes and pilot holes in the wood to take place during the preparation hour or the construction hour?
Is it possible to purchase pure baking soda from Home Depot, heat it up in an oven to make sodium carbonate and take that to competition?
Is Polymerized Aluminum Chloride an acceptable additional item?
Is washing of the play sand allowed prior to the competition?
It is my understanding that we need to provide a receptacle to catch the effluent. You will provide the gallon container, but we must have a bin to catch the rest. Is this correct?
It occurred to my team that the caulking gun is under operation costs. However, those costs are only to be used for the prepping stage. We plan to use the caulking gun, but it would be during assembly. Could you provide clarification? I don't see how a caulking gun can be used in the prepping stage
Last year at Nationals one team used a skimmer of some kind to suck oil off the surface of their constituent water before dumping it into their water treatment system. Is pre-treatment like this allowed this year at Mid-Pac?
My co-captain and I used some costs from the items we actually bought instead of the prices on the list. Is it okay to change that to those on the list since those are the prices you are suggesting?
On page 2 of the rules, the last paragraph mentions the use of "chemicals" in the first sentence. Are these chemicals the garage found items such as paint thinner? Or can laboratory chemicals be used? How about ion exchange resin?
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT TO QUESTION ON MARCH 1, 2011
Please Note: Rules Contain a Typo Regarding Dissolved Oxygen
Since there can be no modifications to raw materials before the competition, what sizes should brought on competition day?
The rules say that during Phase 1 we cannot assemble things together. Can we piece joints and pipes together after cutting them just to judge the accuracy of our cuts, and then disassemble them at the end? The rules say that during Phase 1 we cannot assemble things together. Can we piece joints and pipes together after cutting them just to judge the accuracy of our cuts, and then disassemble them at the end?
The tools list allows us to use a knife, but scissors are unlisted. Would it be possible to substitute a pair of scissors for a knife? We have knives, but we feel like scissors are much safer and are reasonable to bring to an emergency work scenario. It is very challenging and dangerous to cut some of the materials listed in the materials list with a knife or razor blade. Scissors would make things much safer for everyone.
We are aware the play sand can be pre-washed and dried before the competition, but can it also be graded (i.e. sieve out the fines)?
We are using gravel as one additional item, how do you recommend we price this for our cost analysis?
We can only find nylon blend rope (poly nylon blend); can we use any nylon blend? We were unable to locate 3/8" rope at The Home Depot, but they carry 5/16" and 1/4" rope; is one of these alternatives allowable?
We cannot find 36-gallon trash bags specified on the materials list. We have found 33 and 45 gallon bags; can we use one of these sizes as an alternative to the 36-gallon bags?
We did not figure the effluent container into our cost, so I guess we can add this on? It is not clear in the rules.
We saw you can use charcoal in the filter. Is GAC under this category?
We were only able to find galvanized steel wire at Home Depot (and in other hardware stores also), not the stainless steel wire mentioned in the rules. Is it alright that we use galvanized steel wire?
What are the container dimensions for catching the effluent?
What are the site conditions like for the competition?
What equipment will be used to test the water quality parameters of the effluent?
What material is considered for the corrugated pipe?
What percentage grade of hydrogen peroxide can be used? The standard is 3%.
What time does our competition start?
When will the 2011 Competition rules be released?
Where can questions be submitted regarding rules or operations for competition day?
What are the eligibility requirements for our Concrete Canoe/Steel Bridge team to go to Nationals?
2011 Fundraising
2011 News
2011 Mid-Pac Conference Program
December 3rd Deadline Looms
Geo-Challenge Sandbox Inspection Date Changed
Last Minute Details
Mailer I Released
Mailer II Released!
Mailer III Released!
Registrations Finalized
Tour Registration Deadline April 1st
Untitled Post
Water Treatment Rules Released
Water Treatment Rules Update
Website Launch!
2011 Resources
2011 Student Chapter Members
2012
2012 Competitions
Concrete Canoe
Geo-Challenge
Mead Paper
Mini-Games
Academic Contest
Canoe Tug of War
Concrete Bowling
Eating Contest
Horseshoe Toss
Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball
Steel Bridge
Transportation
Water Treatment
FAQ
After pouring the wastewater and within the free period, can a team member add chemicals or materials to the system, such as charcoal?
After pouring the wastewater, within the free interaction time, is the student allowed to fix any components or layers such as initial screens or sand layer to prevent water build up?
After the design report is submitted on the 24th, how much can be changed?
After the wastewater is added to the treatment system, for how long is the treated water allowed to stay/settle in the retention basin before the water is tested?
Are teams allowed to add a solution to the waste water during the construction's thirty minutes?
Are teams allowed to decorate construction materials, since the rules indicate that items should come from the store as is?
Are teams allowed to pre-mark building materials before the competition?
Are teams allowed to tamper with the waste water (add things to it or mix it) before pouring it through our system as long as it is in the 10-minute pouring period?
Are teams building on a flat surface (like concrete or asphalt)?
Are we charged labor time for the operators during the treatment phase?
Can a material (ie. baking soda) be included in the collection bin?
Can chemical additives be measured out before the start of the construction phase, and added into the wastewater during the two minutes free interaction period?
Can teams transfer the wastewater to another container during the 10-minute pouring period as long as the amount of wastewater is not noticeably reduced?
Can teams use a stick to stir their treated water once the water is poured into their water filter?
Can teams use different sized totes?
Can we add chemicals to our buckets of wastewater?
Can we pre-wash our sand as long as it is dry on competition day?
Different types of Oxiclean have different chemical compositions; which are we allowed to use?
Do all the materials have to be pre-packed?
Do we have to pour out all contents of the buckets containing polluted water (including all the solids at the bottom) at the competition?
Do we have to send any chemical/MSDS sheets?
Does the oxyclean stain remover in the materials list refer to solid or liquid form?
During the 2-minute free period, while one student is pouring the water, can the other student hold the treatment design?
During the treatment phase, are teams allowed to use a small cup to help transfer wastewater from the bucket to the filter?
For calculating cost, do items have to always be rounded up to the nearest whole unit?
For the presentations, how many students are allowed to present?
For the presentations, if we only have one presenter, can anotehr team member participate in the question section?
For the presentations, is the dress code formal?
For the presentations, will we provided a computer with Powerpoint 2010 or are we allowed to bring our own laptop?
How will the first gallon of recovered wastewater be measured?
If lumber can be found in two different pre-cut lengths of wood can we bring both to the competition?
If we attach a foot pump to our system during construction, when pouring the wastewater are we allowed to pump air into the water?
In some of our build processes, scissors would be safer than a utility knife. Can we substitute the utility knife with scissors?
In the appendix of household materials allowed it says DRANO CLOG REMOVER; does that mean we can use any type of DRANO such as Drano GEL, Drano Foam or Drano Liquid?
Is the competition providing the receptacle totes? If not, does the team need to calculate it into the cost of their system?
Is the washing of materials permitted during the free-interaction period?
Is there a limit on the number of operators allowed during the treatment phase?
Is there a specific brand and type of coffee (roast) and corn that will be used?
Matches and wood chips are listed materials. Can we burn the woodchips for use during our prep time?
On the materials list, it says that we are allowed towels 12" by 12" maximum size. Does this mean that when we come to competition, the towels must be cut into 12" by 12" squares if the original towels we have are bigger than this size?
Section "L. Safety" states that latex/leather gloves are required as a minimum, can we wear other gloves that are not latex/leather but are just as protective?
The 2-minute free period at the beginning of the 10-minute pouring period is a period in which we can directly touch our system and alter things in it?
The rules do not say anything about measuring cups. Are they allowed?
The rules state lumber may be cut to a uniform size for transfer. Are there regulations for the size or as long as all pieces are the same size it is okay?
What type of color and iron tests that will be performed the day of the competition?
When adding the can of kernel corn to the wastewater, will both the liquid and kernels be added?
When we calculate cost, do we scale everything up to the nearest unit or do we charge for the entire amount that is bought?
When will we be informed which surprise element has been added to the waste water?
Will primer water for our treatment system be provided?
Will saw horses be provided and if not, can we bring our own?
Will the 8 gallons of influent water be stirred before we take possession of it?
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2012 Results
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2013 Mid-Pacific Student Conference
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