A team of Mississippi State University architecture students earned second place in a national masonry competition for their brick design.
The team of students presented their brick design, entitled “The Slant,” in the National Unit Design Competition at the National Concrete Masonry Association’s midyear meeting in Seattle, Washington.
The team consisted of Grace Sheridan, a junior from Olive Branch, Kayla Perez, a junior from Metairie, Louisiana and Joseph Thompson, a junior from Brandon. 
“We made the bricks, and we made the models,” Sheridan said. “And we ended up taking second place, which was cool.”
The three became a team during the spring semester, when “The Slant” started out as an assignment for MSU associate architecture professor Jacob Gines’s materials course. A local competition was then held for their class, which was sponsored by Fred Dunand, owner and president of Saturn Materials in Columbus. 
The assignment consisted of producing a set of eight concrete masonry units based on the team’s design. Each block measured 3-5/8 inches by 3-5/8 inches by 7-5/8 inches.
According to Dunand, the judging panel for the local competition consisted of one architect, one masonry concreter, Gines and Dunand. A total of 17 groups competed, with three to four students per group. In the end, “The Slant” won gold in the local competition. 
After they won the local competition and were accepted into the national competition, the team gave Dunand their mold, so his company could make the final version since the version made for the local competition was constructed of Quikrete in the workshop on campus, Sheridan said.
“It was pretty cool to see the more technical side,” Thompson said. “We usually just present it and that’s it.”
Dunand’s company, Saturn Materials, produces concrete masonry products. After the local competition, a tour was organized for the winning team to tour his plant and learn more about the production process, Dunand said.
“It was cool to see the other side and actually see that process,” Thompson said.
The team submitted copies of the brick and presentation sheets to the NCMA in late May. After being chosen, Sheridan said they spent the summer perfecting the product through group chat and group FaceTime.
According to Sheridan, the NCMA sponsors three groups to attend the national competition and MSU was one of them. 
When the team arrived in Seattle, they spent their time getting their presentation together, along with rehearsing the presentation.
The competition took place Aug. 6-8 in Seattle, and the team gave a presentation on “The Slant” during their time in the Emerald City. 
Sheridan said the group wanted to design something that would serve a purpose. 
“It was quite an adrenaline rush, but it was also the fruits of our labor,” Sheridan said.
The team received $250 after winning the local competition, and then each member received $150 each after winning second place nationally.
This was MSU’s second year to participate in the competition; last year the university took first place.
Thompson said he learned a lot from the project that started back in March.
“Just to have the experience and being able to say you’ve done that before,” Thompson said. “It’s just having that experience in the bag now.”
As for the name, Gines suggested giving the brick a designation. 
“We didn’t really know what to name it,” Thompson said. “We just kept it simple.”
“The Slant” has a bright future, as the brick design will be patented with MSU. 
“It’s not just a prototype, it’s something that can be done,” Dunand said.
 The design will also be included on Dunand’s website as an option for his customers. 
“I think more professionals should take the time to do it, to involve students,” Dunand said. “Future generations are going to make up our nation, and professionals like me can make a difference. Knowledge is nothing if you don’t share it.”