Students to build bridges

     By Tina Allen
     View staff writer
      The American Society of Civil Engineers is hoping to lead Clark County students down the road to a possible career in engineering through its Student Model Bridge Building Contest.
      The contest, now in its 10th year, is open to all elementary through high school pupils in both the private and public sectors. The event will be held Feb. 27 at UNLV's Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex. Registration is open now through Jan. 29.
      "We have three main goals and No. 1 is to educate kids about civil engineering and what we are about," said Wendy Fenner, co-chairwoman for the contest and bio-civil engineer for Clark County Public Works Department. "No. 2 would be to increase participation. And we are also trying to establish a scholarship fund through UNLV and ASCE for our high school bridge winner.
      "Las Vegas is one of the booming areas for civil engineering, there's just so much growth. A lot of people don't really realize what we do. We build the roads and we make sure they are safe and they are efficient. We (assure) air quality and water quality. We take measures to help protect the environment, projects like that. Civil engineering, it's about helping people and improving the quality of life in our civilization."
      The contest gives pupils the opportunity to apply science theories learned in the classroom by planning, designing and constructing a wooden bridge from an official kit, using given specifications. The bridges, which may be up to 11.81 inches in length and must weigh less than one ounce, will be weighed, tested to failure under a load and scored by their efficiency, which is the load carried divided by bridge weight. Past winners have constructed bridges capable of holding as much as 300 pounds.
      Destructive testing is how Fenner referred to the process.
      "Some of them will break just a little bit, you'll just hear it crack and you might be able to see it. Some of them will just explode," she said. "The lighter the bridge and the more weight it carries, the more efficient it is. You may have two bridges that carry the same weight, but if one's lighter than the other, it's more efficient. It's more cost effective. It is definitely a challenging task."
      The contest, which also is sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, UNLV, Clark County School District, Clark County Public Works Department and local engineering firms, will be separated into elementary, junior high and senior high divisions. A maximum of 10 bridges from each school will be accepted.
      Prizes will be awarded to pupils in each division who design, build and test the model bridge with the highest efficiency. The top two finishers in the high school division will be eligible to compete in the international competition to be held in Chicago in April. The international contest winner will be eligible for a four-year, half-tuition scholarship to the Illinois Institute of Technology.
      For the past five years, Herron Elementary School has produced winners in the elementary division. Last year it was Chera Washington who took top honors.
      Herron teacher Jacob Lee has created an after-school club for pupils who are interested in participating. He said the children not only build bridges, but build self-esteem while learning about linear measurements, symmetry, weights and engineering vocabulary.
      Before the contest, Lee's class tours UNLV's engineering complex and has a chance to meet students and instructors.
      The contest "makes them aware of their surroundings," Lee said.
      Schools or individuals interested in the contest can call Fenner at 455-6923 or Paul Matuska at 293-8164 to obtain rules, registration forms and bridge kits.
      The kits are $7 each, and money raised goes toward sending the high school winners to the international contest. Fenner is hoping all schools in Clark County will participate.