NDSU students have won the national Steel Bridge Competition for an unprecedented sixth time. The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and in cooperation with the American Society of Civil Engineers, was held May 28-29 at Purdue University.
A total of 46 teams from across the country participated in the competition, which included six categories – construction speed, lightness, display, stiffness, economy and efficiency. The contest gives civil engineering students awareness of real world engineering issues and experience with design, fabrication, construction and testing.
The NDSU team finished first in the construction speed and economy areas, while taking third in efficiency.
“This is the sixth title for NDSU, the only university to have teams that have won the national title more than once. The success of our teams, year after year, is attributed to the dedication, hard work and academic preparation of the team members. The students have always been able to apply classroom lessons to real-world practice,” said Magdy Abdelrahman, assistant professor of civil engineering and the NDSU team’s adviser. “The team was able to optimize all elements, making sure they developed the most efficient design and build the bridge in the minimum possible time.”
Garrett Brunell, team co-captain and graduating senior from Elk River, Minn., said, “Having the steel bridge competition gives students, and especially captains, the chance to apply what is learned in the classroom to real world design scenarios and also fully understand all the aspects that go into a project. For me, it was probably the most important thing that I did while at NDSU, because it opened many doors and created many opportunities.”
Co-captain Tyson Decker, a graduating senior from Belfield, N.D., said the accomplishment is great for the team and for the university. “These students put forth extreme efforts in order to be competitive year in and year out,” he said. “This organization, which has been built by numerous members, enables students to perform at this high level but still requires a great amount of effort and determination which is fueled by pride – Bison Pride.”
Other participating students were Eric Gunderson and Tony Hafner. Significant contributors include Bryce DeGuise, Matthew Huettl, Edwin Brodmarkle, Jordan Cahill, Stacy Engelmeyer, Chris Hans, Minh Huynh, Russell Landphere, Andrew Merkel, Audra Poehls, Scott Vedvei and Andrew Wrucke.
The University of California at Berkeley finished in second place, and Lakehead University placed third.