Science Bound students to break new bridges

Bridge Bust competition
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The annual competition, administered by the Purdue University chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in front of Dick's Sporting Goods at the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette, Ind. Other Indiana high schools that will be represented include Harrison in West Lafayette, Benton Central in Oxford, Andrean in Valparaiso, Delta in Muncie and Century Career Center in Logansport.

Teams will assemble the bridges from 20 sticks of balsa wood and a bottle of glue. Most bridges are approximately 2 feet long and 8 inches high.

Kate Schaefer, a Purdue senior from Milwaukee who is majoring in civil engineering, said that despite the modest size of the bridges, significant skill is required for top-notch construction.

"We will judge the bridges on their loading efficiency, aesthetic qualities and structural concepts," Schaefer said. "We hope to get the students interested in the world of civil engineering and what Purdue has to offer."

Loading efficiency will be determined by pouring sand into buckets that will be hanging from the bridges. The bridge that can hold the most weight wins that category.

Schaefer and co-chairs Meredith Walton, a junior from Barrington, Ill., and Jordan Morrow a sophomore from Brownstown, Ind., who also are civil engineering majors, will award plaques to the winners in each category.

Wesley Campbell, Science Bound director, said he is looking forward to seeing if the bridges constructed by Science Bound students can hold their weight.

"The Science Bound students really look forward to this event each year," Campbell said. "Many of them will pursue an engineering degree at Purdue as early as the fall of 2007. By participating in Bridge Bust, they'll have a better idea of what the field of civil engineering involves."

Science Bound, a program initiated by Purdue President Martin C. Jischke, mentors eighth-grade to 12th-grade Indianapolis Public Schools students and encourages them to take classes in preparation for future careers in science, engineering, technology, agriculture and math-science education. Upon acceptance, Science Bound students receive an opportunity to earn a full-tuition scholarship to Purdue to study in an approved technical field.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Wesley Campbell, (765) 494-0018, wesleyl@purdue.edu

Kate Schaefer, (414) 378-3273, kmschaef@purdue.edu

Meredith Walton, (847) 602-6345, waltonm@purdue.edu

Jordan Morrow, (812) 498-2411, jrmorrow@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

A publication-quality file photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/bridgebust.jpeg

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