CONCRETE WINNERS: After a 16-year absence from the national concrete canoe competition, University of Washington civil engineering students returned to take 5th-place at the June event in Rapid City, S.D. The UW team qualified for the national competition for the first time since 1982 after besting a field of 10 Pacific Northwest universities at the regional competition held in Seattle in April.

The competitions include sprint and long-distance races as well as judging on design, appearance and technical soundness. The UW’s canoe, dubbed “Centennial” in honor of the civil engineering department’s 100-year anniversary, featured a unique teardrop shape and an exceptionally smooth finish for a concrete surface.

“The 5th place finish is an incredible accomplishment given that over 250 schools compete for the chance to go to the national competition,” said Fred Mannering, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “This is great visibility for the department and a great experience for the students.”

VIOLENCE AND YOUTH: Three UW people have been named to a Citizen Advisory Group that will plan a statewide Youth Safety Summit. Dorothy Mann, founding director of the Community Violence Prevention Program; Eric Trupin, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center; and J. David Hawkins, director of the Social Development Research Group, will serve “as our eyes and ears at community forums, and share their knowledge and experience in planning the summit,” said Governor Gary Locke. The summit is designed to examine the root causes of youth violence, identify existing programs and resources within communities that address causes of youth violence and suggest specific action steps for the future.

KUDOS: Law Professor Ralph Johnson has received the Distinguished Service Award from his alma mater, the University of Oregon. Johnson, who received both bachelor’s and law degrees from Oregon, was cited as a man who “in his professional and volunteer work is widely credited with changing the face of Native American law and history, environmental history and ocean and coastal regulations.” . . . Drama Professor Barry Witham was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, which recognizes outstanding achievement in all aspects of the American theater. Witham was honored for excellence in teaching, research and dramaturgy. ¶

Do you know someone who deserves “kudos” for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, please send that person’s name, title and achievement to “Kudos,” University Week, Box 351207.