An 8-week-old labrador retriever, casino games and prizes highlighted the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter steel bridge team’s first casino night.
The group hosted the event Saturday in the University Center Rio Grande Ballroom to raise funds for its 2012 steel bridge building competition.
The team’s goal is to take the best features of the last two years’ bridges: strength, stiffness and quick connects, said Scott O’ Brien, the steel bridge team’s captain. The model bridges are judged on aesthetics, timed construction, deflation and the weight of the bridges.
“I’m looking to do fairly well at nationals,” he said. “We have a good team, and we’re fairly organized.”
Steel bridge building competitions play a role in engineering students’ classroom instruction, O’ Brien said.
“This is important because it takes what you’re learning in school and a practical application,” he said.
The goal for the night was to raise $1,000. The dollar amount wasn’t calculated as of Saturday night.
Casino prizes included $25 gift cards to locations such as Zio’s Italian Kitchen, Alley Cats, BJ’s Brewhouse, Houlihan’s and Blackfinn. Other prizes included ground coffee from Starbucks, 10 Putt-Putt games of golf and a $20 dinner for two at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
Nitin Maturi, industrial engineering graduate student, said he enjoyed seeing Ace and winning the Zio’s Italian Kitchen gift card.
But what seemed to get the most attention was running around and playing with a toy.
Ace, the 8-week-old labrador, was up for auction. Texas Hold ’em dealer Lisa Baker won the dog for $175 during auction.
“This is going to my best friend in the whole world,” Baker said, carrying Ace over to craps dealer Janene Boyle.
Boyle said she was happy about Baker buying Ace for her. Boyle had a husky but left it with her daughter before she moved away.
“I feel pretty great,” Boyle said. “I’m a big-dog person, and I had to leave my big dog at home.”
The group also placed a steel bridge model from a past competition in the room for the event and used it as a prop to explain the competition.
The event was a success, said Brandy Martinez, the group’s vice president for external affairs.
“It went extremely well,” she said. “Next October, we will be doing it again. People know who we are and where we are, and it’ll be easier to find sponsors.”
Devanshi Patel, biomedical engineering graduate student, said she enjoyed seeing her friend win a poker game.
Richard Hoang contributed to this story.
