Hundreds of civil engineering students from across North America will converge in Washington, D.C., June 18-20, 2004, for the National Concrete Canoe Competition. Sponsored by American Society of Civil Engineers and Master Builders Inc., Cleveland, the event challenges students from top civil engineering schools to design, build and race canoes made of concrete. This year's canoe race competition will take place at Lake Fairfax, near ASCE's Reston, Va., headquarters.

ASCE and Master Builders are partnering with the National Building Museum this year to present the competition as part of a weekend of festivities celebrating the opening of a new exhibition: “Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete” (note companion item). On the opening day of the exhibition, the museum will stage a Concrete Carnival, welcoming children and their families to share in the wonder of concrete and its applications through hands-on activities and direct interaction with the young competitors of the National Concrete Canoe Competition. The Concrete Canoe Competition, the Liquid Stone exhibition opening, and the Concrete Carnival will be the main elements during three days of festivities held under the banner “Celebrating Concrete!” that will showcase the engineering ingenuity that has taken concrete from sidewalk surfaces to new and innovative applications.