UC School of Advanced Structures to Host 2013 Bridge Building Competition

The University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science’s School of Advanced Structures (SAS) anticipates a strong turnout at its 2013 Bridge Building Competition for area high school students. The competition is an all-day event and will take place in the Great Hall at Tangeman University Center on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013.

The competition was first held in academic year 2000-2001, with the goal of attracting high school juniors and seniors who are taking physics and Advanced Placement physics classes to consider careers in the engineering field. By 2007, the competition had grown so large (at almost 800 student participants) that the college was forced to limit each high school to registering only their best 51 students, and the rule remains to this day. This year’s competition is expecting to attract 360 registrants.

For the competition, students form groups of one to three and are tasked with building a wood bridge according to a detailed set of specifications. During their time on campus, students’ bridges are physically tested for failure in front of them and the crowd, measuring for maximum capacity and stiffness (how much deflection they undergo under maximum load). Student teams are arranged into three winning categories: strength, stiffness, and overall. A small money prize will be awarded to the top three teams in each category. For this competition, $500 scholarships to the College of Engineering and Applied Science are offered to the winners of the Overall category.

While the bridges are being tested, the college and its civil engineering students are offering tours of campus and of some participating engineering labs including the civil, mechanical, and aerospace labs. All participants and spectators are invited to enjoy a tour during the competition.

The competition introduces high school students to a scaled-down, real-world engineering problem, and is an example of how technical knowledge and hands-on experience work together to produce a successful result—which is typical of civil engineering and engineering in general. A few bridges constructed in the past have tested to a capacity in excess of 1,500 lbs. and in some occasions, SAS actually had to transport some to its testing laboratory in Rhodes Hall to resolve the winner. These few exceeded the capacity of the testing frames used for the competition and reached up to 4,000 lbs.

Join SAS and these high school students in their bridge building fun on Friday as they construct what is sure to be a great time. For more information about the competition, please visit: www.ceas3.uc.edu/bridge/.