AMES, Iowa - A team of 25 Iowa State University engineering students recently placed eighth overall at the 13th annual National Student Steel Bridge Competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
It was Iowa State's highest overall placing ever at the national competition, held this year at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden. The ISU team also placed second in two categories - speed and economy.
Scores were based on the team's response to the following problem: replace a century-old bridge that crosses an environmentally sensitive river, and carries trucks that serve farms and agricultural processing industries. The replacement needed to be handled quickly, and several other technical specifications and limitations were in place as well. The projects were constructed in a School of Mines gymnasium, complete with a duct tape river.
Iowa State's team was the largest at the national competition, according to Tim Ellis, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering and team adviser.
"I think we did so well because the students used their time efficiently, and everybody had a job to do," Ellis said. "It was a well-choreographed effort, and the officials were very impressed."
