UAF Steel Bridge Team Places 6th Nationwide

Submitted by Todd Paris
Phone: (907) 474-7939
07/01/03

A team of UAF civil engineering students finished sixth among the 44 teams competing in the 2003 national student steel bridge competition in San Diego. After winning the regional competition in Boise, Idaho in April, the team ran up against tougher competition at the national level.

"This year UAF placed higher than much bigger schools, including Clemson, Texas A&M and the University of Southern California," said UAF engineering professor Leroy Hulsey who serves as the team’s faculty advisor. A team from the University of Michigan took first place, with the University of Wisconsin finishing second and the University of Florida taking third.

The contest requires students to design and build a 24-foot-long, two-span steel bridge capable of supporting 2,500 pounds. The teams are required to adhere to a set of complicated rules as they design and assemble their creations. UAF’s entry weighed in at 104 pounds and was entirely designed and built by students in the civil engineering. In the construction speed category, the UAF team shaved 47 seconds off their time from the regionals to just 2:08, but still finished ninth. Other categories judged include stiffness, economy, efficiency, lightness and aesthetics. Representing UAF at the nationals, held at San Diego State University May 25-27, were Ben Dobrovolny, Mike Lund, Peter Brown, Nathan Stephan, Wilhelm Muench, Robert Casey and Jason Millam.

Note to Editors: A high-resolution image can be downloaded from http://www.uaf.edu/files/news/download/releasephotos/engineer_team.jpg.

For more information, contact Leroy Hulsey in UAF’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at (907) 474-7241 or e-mail .