Canstruction 2010
Published on
A win for students, a win for the community
Canstruction is an annual event held in cities around the world to raise food donations for local food banks. During the event, teams from engineering, architecture, construction, and design firms compete to build the city’s most fantastic structure from canned food items. The cans are later donated to the sponsored food bank.
Canstruction 2010 began in Regina on February 19, when 7 teams from companies and organizations around Regina began building their structures in local malls. The University of Regina Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science entered with a team made up largely of first year engineering students plus one business student.
This year, teams were encouraged to use an Olympic theme in their “canstructures” in honour of the Vancouver Olympics.
After considerable brainstorming, the U of R team elected to build a giant curling rock that also doubles as a soup pot, with the handle serving as the pot lid and with the rock filled with soup. Called the “Curling Crock,” the structure stood nearly 3 feet tall and was 6 feet in diameter. In honour of the Olympics, the team inscribed “Vancouver 2010” into the side of the rock. The structure was made up of just over 3000 cans, mostly of tuna, ham, soup, and mushrooms.
This is the second year the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science has entered a team in Canstruction. Last year’s team was awarded two of the top prizes. Hoping to meet or exceed these results was an all-new group of students, encouraged by last year’s success but anxious to make their own mark.
And, they weren’t disappointed. The 2010 team received the award for Structural Integrity and a Judges’ Choice Honourable Mention Award for building a structure representing curling - an iconically Saskatchewan game - that cleverly combines both the Olympic theme and the idea of feeding the hungry.
And on March 9, the team was thrilled to learn that they also received the award for “Public Choice,” an award given based on votes submitted by the public over the two weeks the structures were on display.
“We wanted to build something that represented Saskatchewan traditions,” says team captain and engineering professor Dr. David deMontigny. “Curling is a big deal in Saskatchewan and so is helping your neighbour. Our ‘curling crock’ represents that.”
For the students, the project was a chance to practice some of what they’re learning in classes, as well as to contribute to the community.
Team member Victor Gu
redam says, “Being part of the Canstruction project was a wonderful and exciting experience for me because it created an avenue for me to work with other students and put into practice some of the engineering principles learned in class and also provide food for the food bank.”
His teammate, Solomon Gokana, on the other hand, says he actually just joined the team for fun, but found that “it was amazing to see how the seemingly fun activity employs engineering principles. It was an awesome experience that gave us an opportunity to contribute to the community.”
The team’s only non-engineering student, Cassandra Hojnik, a Business major, also found it to be a great learning experience. “I really enjoyed participating in Canstruction. It was a great opportunity to meet lots of new people and get involved in the school and community, all the while supporting a great cause! I also had the opportunity to learn about structural design from the engineering students.”
Funding for the project was provided by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. The team also received a generous donation from the U of R Students’ Union. In addition, Team U of R held a two-day hotdog sale, with help from the Lazy Owl, and were able to raise over $500, thanks to the generosity of the univeristy community.