Ingenuity is on full display at American universities across the country, as student engineers from 32 schools have qualified to move on to the National Finals in a Student Steel Bridge Competition that’s been like no other.
This year, the American Institute of Steel Construction’s signature university competition offered two ways for schools to participate safely: either through a remote program in which teams designed, fabricated, constructed, and tested their bridges from campus, or in a design-only supplemental competition.
In all, 80 teams joined the Compete from Campus program, and 38 teams participated in the Supplemental competition.
“That's remarkable given all of the challenges of the pandemic, which impacted all of us in so many ways,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “Thank you for being so resilient and motivated as you made it all work to be part of the AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition this year. You were resourceful, and it looked like you had a lot of fun, too!”
Carter also thanked the industry experts who volunteered their time as either remote or onsite judges this year. He noted that AISC had to close down the volunteer sign-up page due to overwhelming response--another reminder that dedicated people are what make the steel design and construction industry so extraordinary.
Teams are participating in the National Finals remotely, as well. Those who participated in the Supplemental Competition will move forward with their existing entries; judges will also factor in the results from a public vote on their submission videos, which will take place next month. For the Compete from Campus program, teams will be challenged to test their existing bridges with a 2,500-lb load in a different location on the bridge, to be determined by the roll of a die.
AISC will present the national awards on June 3, 2021.
Without further ado, congratulations to the following teams, who are moving on to the 2021 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals:
2021 Student Steel Bridge Competition: Compete from Campus
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Iowa State University
- Kansas State University
- Kennesaw State University
- Lafayette College
- Louisiana State University
- Michigan Technological University
- Missouri University of Science and Technology
- New York University
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- SUNY College of Technology at Canton
- University at Buffalo
- University of Alaska - Fairbanks
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Michigan
- University of Missouri Columbia
- University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez
- University of Wisconsin - Madison
- University of Wisconsin - Platteville
- University of Texas at Tyler
- West Virginia University
- Youngstown State University
2021 Student Steel Bridge Competition: Supplemental Competition
- California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
- George Washington University
- Michigan Technological University
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- The College of New Jersey
- University of Alabama
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Massachusetts Amherst