Concrete Canoe Capstone; Y2K, and Why To Care About the Failure of Actor-Networks During the Turn of the Century

Although my technical capstone project and STS project explored very different domains, civil engineering and software development, both can be related through the lens of Actor-Network Theory (ANT). ANT asserts that defined systems, called 'networks', are shaped by the relationships between human and non-human actors. In my STS project, I analyzed how groups such as the media and government interacted with non-human actors like information technologies to show how one destabilizing actor could disrupt an entire network. Similarly, during my capstone project my team and I explored the relationship between inorganic actors such as concrete mixes, mold designs, and hull shapes and how they formed a 3D printable canoe design. Both my technical and STS projects focus on the relationships between non-human and human actors to create a better network, which provided a beneficial lens to navigate both.

My capstone team modeled and tested methods to 3D print concrete in order to create a more environmentally friendly product, with the end goal of creating a functioning canoe. The biggest challenges with this project were creating a mix of concrete that was both strong enough after hardening to support weight and movement, while also being malleable and soft enough during the mixing process to fit through a 3D printing nozzle. From the initial hull curve design to the final demolding process, throughout the entirety of the project the relationship between inorganic actors such as concrete, thread rods, and nozzles were paired with my group to work towards the final network, a functional canoe made of concrete. Our final product, a 1-foot-long canoe, lacked sufficient structural integrity to float, but we accomplished our mission of creating a concrete mix that would be able to be printed rather than mixed in a factory. In my STS research paper I analyzed the failure of the actor-network relationship during the Y2K crisis that led to mass panic and overspending. Y2K, also known as the millennium bug, was a societal panic that was caused by the notion that software would cease to function when the year 2000 was reached, as several important systems were only programmed to display “19xx” as the date. The main cause for this breakdown was the presence of the media as a “rogue actor” which aimed to destabilize the network by spreading sensationalism and fear to promote themselves rather than helping the government quell the fears that were growing as time grew closer to 2000. The relationship between the government acting as a “network builder”, or an actor that helps enlist other actors towards a certain goal for the network, and the media showed the potential shortcomings when certain checks and balances fail.

As I worked through both of these projects, I gained valuable insight into the worth of every actor in a project, from the amount of aggregate in a mixture to the people who work on it. All actors must work together to meet a goal, otherwise it is very easy for one rogue actor to derail an entire network. Researching the Y2K crisis taught me how much my public actions can influence public reactions, as I will be considered an expert in important areas affecting everyone, particularly infrastructure. The concrete canoe project taught me to value and look over every piece of the puzzle, as small problems such as rod sizes or table material led to massive issues in the long run. Although these were two very different problems, using ANT allowed me to learn more about building networks with various actors, which is a very valuable skill I will use both in Civil Engineering and in my time in the military.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Technical Advisor: Ryan Henry

STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli

Technical Team Members: Ella Maulfair, Paxton Gunn, Yajaira Lara, Dervon Parchment, Mason Pearce