2002-2003

An auditorium at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) will become a hard-hat zone this Saturday when area colleges face off in the New England Regionals of the 2003 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition.

This intercollegiate challenge requires civil engineering students to design, fabricate and construct a working steel bridge measuring around 25 feet in length.

The completed bridges are then judged on criteria such as speed of construction, aesthetics, and whether or not they can withstand up to 3/4 ton of weight. It usually takes about 45 minutes to build and judge each bridge (the designs and fabrication take place beforehand). The winner and first runner-up move on to the national-level competition scheduled for May 23-24 at San Diego State University. The regional and national competitions are sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

Student teams from 9 New England colleges and universities have entered the competition:

Merrimack College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Connecticut, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, University of Vermont, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute