RPI wins 2011 Student GeoChallenge

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) won this year’s Student GeoChallenge for the design and building of the winning wall model during Geo-Frontiers 2011 in Dallas.

The Geo-Frontiers conference was organized by ASCE’s Geo-Institute (G-I) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and took place at the Dallas Sheraton March 13-16. Thirteen student teams from across the country competed in the challenge, conducted in front of an enthusiastic audience during the event’s opening reception of the exhibit hall March 14.

The objective of the GeoChallenge competition is to design and build a model mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall using paper reinforcement taped to a poster board wall facing. The design objective is to use the least amount of reinforcement needed to support the retained soil plus both vertical and horizontal surcharge loads.

The RPI team was presented the Atterberg Cup at the awards ceremony. Geo-Frontiers was attended by more than 2,000 national and international participants (exhibitors, engineers, faculty, practitioners, and students). RPI gets to keep the cup until next year’s competition at G-I’s 2012 event in Oakland, Calif.

See a photo of the winners in the box above.