We recently sponsored an eight-member University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Steel Bridge Team at the 2013 Great Lakes Student Conference, hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Of the 18 competiting teams, the UIC Steel Bridge Team came in 7th.

As part of our sponsorship we donated $1,000 to the UIC ASCE Student Chapter for the competition. We were honored to sponsor the UIC Steel Bridge Team and felt that it was an excellent way to not only connect with students, but also a great way to build relationships with future engineers.

According to the ASCE, the student bridge competition “challenges student teams to design and fabricate a one-tenth scale steel bridge.” The UIC Steel Bridge Team designed, fabricated and constructed their bridge entirely out of hollow structural sections (HSS), with the exception of nuts and bolts.

“With weight and cost being such important factors, HSS was the clear choice with its high strength-to-weight ratio and extensive availability,” said Michael Medsker, captain of the UIC ASCE Steel Bridge Team.

The ASCE Great Lakes Student Conference was held April 18–20 at Trine University in Angola, Indiana. Information on the competition, including results and scores, can be found here.