A large and enthusiastic crowd filled the lobby of the Kent State University at Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center lobby on Feb. 21 as area high school students participated in the Engineering Technology Department Regional Bridge Building Contest.
According to the Bridge Building Contest homepage, the object of this contest is to see who can design, construct and test the most efficient bridge within the specifications. Model bridges are intended to be simplified versions of real-world bridges, which are designed to permit a load to travel across the entire bridge.
The construction and testing of model bridges promotes the study and application of fundamental principles in physics and helps high school students develop hands-on skills through bridge construction. By participating in the Bridge Building Contest, students get a flavor of what it is to be an Engineer – designing structures to a set of specifications and then seeing them perform their function. Students are provided with an academically-oriented extracurricular activity which is recognized school-wide.
Over three hundred bridges were submitted to the Regional Contest by more than two hundred students from the following school districts: New Philadelphia, Dover, Union Local, Buckeye Career Center, Tusky Valley, Conotton Valley, Strasburg, Union Local, Garaway, and Indian Valley.
The top ten contest winners were as follows: first-place Brady Miller, second-place Trinity Dreher, Jaron Smith, Miguel Mejia-Sica, Lake VanSickle, Carson Roberson, Andrew Osborn, Micah Maize, Chase Daniel and Cody Conrad.
First- and second-place winners from regional contests held across the country and internationally, including Miller and Dreher - both from Dover - earned the opportunity to compete in the forty-sixth International Bridge Building Contest, which Kent State Tuscarawas will host this year on Sat., April 27.
“Bringing this international event to Tuscarawas County and to our campus is a great opportunity to showcase our community and shine a spotlight on Kent State Tuscarawas on a worldwide level,” said Paul Dykshoorn, director of the engineering technology department and event coordinator.
To learn more about the Kent State University College of Applied and Technical Studies engineering programs at the Tuscarawas Campus, visit www.kent.edu/tusc/engtech.