Speed engineering students design, fabricate and assemble steel bridge for regional competition

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—A team of engineering students is preparing for a regional competition in hopes of qualifying for nationals by building a steel bridge and floating a concrete canoe.

The students from the University of Louisville’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers will hold an open house Wednesday, March 29, at 3 p.m. in the Engineering Garage, 1960 Arthur St.

The competition is part of the regional conference for civil and environmental engineering students held in Columbus, Ohio, at Ohio State University in early April. The team from UofL’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Department will also compete in balsa bridge, civil site design, innovation paper, water purification, and concrete horseshoe and baseball categories.

“We feel like we will be a national competition level contender…because we have been able to have the hands-on training from First Build using the Engineering Garage facility,” said Joshua Wilcox, ASCE fundraising chair. “By having control over the entire process from design to manufacturing, we have been able to push the limits of what was historically possible.”

Team members will demonstrate the assembling of the steel bridge, complex balsa wood bridge design, how to float concrete and will be available for questions.

                                                                                                          ###