Winning Bridges Had to Withstand Load Test
Dozens of middle school and high school students braved the snow and cold Feb. 28 to participate in the 2nd annual RooBuilders Competition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
They had a good reason for getting out in the winter weather – the chance to win first place. Twenty-six teams built custom bridges that were load-tested at the competition to see how much load they could hold.
“Quality bridge construction and pride of workmanship was evident in the completed bridge models and evidenced in the record-setting loads” the bridges withstood, said Megan Hart, Ph.D., UMKC School of Computing and Engineering assistant professor and organizer of RooBuilders.
RooBuilders, a program at the UMKC SCE in partnership with the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE), is a basswood bridge building competition. Students started their projects in November, 2014. They designed, built and tested their bridges in preparation for the competition.
Spartan Builders from Antioch Middle School set a new middle school record of 139 pounds with bridge efficiency score of 356. Tracy’s Trusses from Park Hill South High School retained the championship for a second year with a basket-weave design that held 85 pounds and had a bridge efficiency of 459. Tracy’s Trusses has been invited by MSPE to the represent the Kansas City metropolitan area at the 2015 International Bridge Building Contest in Portland, Oregon.
Hart said RooBuilders was created to increase awareness of civil engineering and UMKC’s School of Computing and Engineering, and to engage students with working professionals. The basswood bridge kits used by the students are a very light, durable and strong wood used for hobby projects and musical instruments. This competition teaches concepts in structural engineering applications, project management, and the need to adhere to basic engineering principles to advance civil society through infrastructure. Professionals representing USACE, HNTB, Geotechnology, Burns and McDonnell, Terracon and Genesis Structures volunteered their time to judge the event and speak with participants.
“We look forward to expanding the competition next year to involve more teams at both the middle and high school level by adding a second fully operational testing apparatus,” Hart said. “This program is one way we can encourage a vibrant K-12 STEM community in the KC metro area.”