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Lafayette’s Steel Bridge Team took seventh place at the 2010 National Student Steel Bridge Competition held at Purdue University. This is the fifth time in the last six years that a Lafayette team has made it to the national level.
“The team finished seventh in the nation for its third top-seven finish in the past four years. With more than 200 engineering schools competing each year, this is certainly a record that we can be proud of,” says faculty adviser Stephen Kurtz, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.
The competition is sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Lafayette went up against 46 teams that qualified at the 19 regional competitions throughout the country.
This year’s team included seniors Wystan Carswell, Jason Garman, Tim Polson, Matthew Reichenbach, Jeff Shoemaker, and Mark Sliwinski. The students participate in the project as part of an independent study taught by Kurtz.
Students draw on skills they have learned in engineering courses such as Statics, Strength of Materials, and Structural Analysis and Steel Design. They must be able to execute a big-picture conceptual analysis as well as attend to tiny details. They also learn how to produce professional-quality drawings and manage a construction project.