Student Steel Bridge Competition Showcase Ideas for Wildlife Refuge Crossing

June 7, 2023

Article provided by the National Steel Bridge Alliance
Image Credits Robert Shaw

This year, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) challenged students across North America to design, analyze, fabricate, and construct a conceptual scaled steel bridge to serve as a hypothetical crossing in the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge.

The Student Steel Bridge Competition is a partnership between the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The conceptual bridge would allow users to access trails on both sides of Sweetwater River and also provide better access for park service vehicles. It would be able to support the weight of pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians as well as maintenance and park vehicles.

This is a wildlife refuge, so engineers would have to respect the existing habitat–no construction activity could take place within the river.

Students rose to the challenge and put their designs to the test at 20 regional competitions at ASCE Student Symposia this spring.

Image Credits Robert Shaw

43 Teams Put Bridges to the Test in Finals

Last weekend, the 43 top teams met at the University of California, San Diego, for the 2023 Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals.

“It brings me such joy to see how the Student Steel Bridge Competition has such a positive impact on the students,” said Kristi Sattler, SE, PE, PhD, AISC’s university education manager. “This weekend was full of smiling students who were passionate about their bridges, enthusiastic volunteer judges who ensured a fair and safe competition, and sponsors who got to see first-hand the fruits of their financial contributions.”

University of Florida Takes First Place, Three Years in a Row

For the third consecutive year, student engineers from the University of Florida took first place in the Student Steel Bridge Competition. The team also became the first in the competition’s history to win three years in a row.

In addition to winning the overall prize (and $5,000 in scholarship money), the University of Florida had the fastest build, took first place for economy, and came in third for efficiency. They also took home the Frank J. Hatfield Ingenuity Award, which goes to the team that shows the most engineering ingenuity in the design and/or construction of their bridge based on the requirements of the competition rules.

“It’s always a year of hard work and dedication, and it’s exhausting–a lot of nights and days, so it feels good to finally perform on the national level and compete for one of the top spots,” said Brock Sullivan, the University of Florida’s steel bridge project manager.

Youngstown State University came in second overall, winning first place for aesthetics and third for economy–as well as $3,000 in scholarship funds.

The University at Buffalo won third place overall, which comes with $2,000 in scholarship support. Their build time of 5.85 minutes was a close second to the University of Florida’s winning time of 5.80 minutes, and they also took second in the economy category.

2024 Competition Takes Place in Louisiana

Competition organizers unveiled the location of the 2024 Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals: Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., May 31 to June 1, 2024.

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