ASU to host model bridge-building competition: Updated: Location Change

Updated: Location Change
ASU to host model bridge-building competition

Albany State University will host the annual Southwest Georgia Model Bridge-building Competition, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. The competition, set to begin in the
Sanford Gymnasium at 9 a.m., is conducted each year in celebration of National Engineers’ Week.

The event is sponsored by the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, an organization created and wholly funded by NASA, to increase the participation of high school students in science and engineering careers. The consortium also seeks to increase the number of university students in aerospace research, which helps NASA’s future workforce development project.

The model bridge-building competition provides an opportunity for students in Southwest Georgia to solve realistic engineering problems by designing and building structurally efficient balsa wood bridges according to stated specifications. The efficiency of each bridge is measured by the ratio of the breaking load to the weight of the bridge. A panel of judges from industry and research organizations will test the bridges and declare the winners.

The competition is open to all high and middle school students in Southwest Georgia. Schools may enter as many teams as they like.

Because 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the competition, an "open" category has been added to the existing high and middle school categories to encourage interested individuals to build a model bridge with minimum restrictions on the design specifications.

The top three teams in each category are awarded commemorative prizes. A plaque is awarded for the best overall performance in each category. All participants (students and teachers) receive free T-shirts.

Please visit www.asu-engineering.org/bridge/Synopsis.htm to obtain the detail specifications, and to view photographs and videos of past contests.
For more information on ASU’s model bridge-building contest, contact Dr. Atin Sinha at (229) 430-4820 or e-mail atin.sinha@asurams.edu.

Photo Caption: 2011 Model Bridge-building Participants