May 24, 2001

WKU Students Will Compete In National Bridge Contest

Bowling Green, Ky. - Kentucky University engineering students will compete for national honors this weekend at the National Student Steel Bridge Competition.

"We're looking for a very good finish at nationals," said Greg Mills, civil engineering professor and team adviser. "The students have learned a lot from last year to this year and should be a little more competitive this year at nationals."

Western is one of 43 schools competing in the national competition Friday and Saturday at Clemson University in South Carolina.

Mills expects the low-profile, three-dimensional truss bridge designed and built by Western students to do well in the aesthetics competition and may finish in the top 20 or 25 overall.

In its first entry in the steel bridge competition last year, Western won the regional contest, finished 38th in the nation and gained beneficial experience, Mills said.

"We've improved tremendously over last year," he said, noting Western's 2001 entry has a lower overall weight and a quicker assembly time.

Bridges are judged on aesthetics, stiffness, construction speed, weight, construction economy, structural efficiency and overall performance. The bridges must be 23 feet long with a 13 feet span, 2 feet high with 1½ feet clearance and 3 ½ feet wide and must support 2,500 pounds.

Making the trip to Clemson will be seniors Ryan Pregel of Gallatin, Tenn., Jason Collins of Columbia, Aaron Terry of Elizabethtown, Shawn Herman of Bowling Green and junior Dan Haney of Fordsville.

Western advanced to the nationals by winning last month's Ohio Valley Regional. A Western bridge also finished third in the regional contest.

Other students who've been instrumental in the design, fabrication and construction of the bridge project since last August include Jerod Kaufman of Kenai, Alaska, Lucas Slavey of Somerset, Scott Tucker of Florence, Jason Collins of Columbia and Lawrence Porter of Lewisburg.

In Western's engineering program, project-based experiences like the steel bridge give students an opportunity to learn hands-on design and construction skills, develop problem-solving skills and build teamwork and management skills, Mills said.

The steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions also enhance Western's reputation among engineering programs, professional organizations and industry, he said. Western is one of only three schools will be competing in both the bridge and concrete canoe national competitions.

"When we start going to competitions, they start recognizing Western's name," Mills said. "This kind of recognition can only help."

Other competitors in the national contest include defending champion California State-Chico, Arkansas State, Columbia, George Washington, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Oregon State, Penn State, Southern Illinois-Carbondale, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana-Lafayette, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The steel bridge competition's primary sponsors are the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers. More information on the competition is available online at http://www.ce.clemson.edu/2001nssbc/

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