National Student Steel Bridge Competition Spotlights the Future of Structural Engineering

(Chicago, IL) – A team of seven North Dakota State University (NDSU) civil engineering students won the 15th annual National Student Steel Bridge Competition, held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Second place went to the team from the SUNY College of Technology – Canton, while the University of Wisconsin – Madison took third overall.

This year’s competition featured forty-five teams and nearly 500 students from universities around the country. Each team of future structural engineers performed the steel design, steel fabrication, and steel erection required to construct scale-model bridges capable of carrying a load of 2,500 pounds. The bridges are judged in six key categories related to steel design and construction: construction speed, aesthetics, economy, lightness, stiffness and efficiency. Those teams with the best combined rankings across all six categories earn overall award recognition.

NDSU remains the only school in the nation to win the national bridge competition more than once, having previously taken the championship in 1995, 2002, and 2004. Student teams work for months perfecting the design, fabrication and construction of each bridge. To reach the national competition, each team must also place among the top schools in one of 18 regional competitions held across the country each year.

Fromy Rosenberg, Director of University Relations for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), commented, “It’s always exciting to see the next generation of structural engineers at work – and this year’s competition was no different. The dedication, hard work and ingenuity shown by each team in designing and constructing their bridges was truly impressive. By earning the top spot overall, North Dakota State beat dozens of quality teams and once again demonstrated the excellence of its engineering program and students.”

The National Student Steel Bridge Competition is sponsored by AISC and co-sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Iron and Steel Institute, the National Steel Bridge Alliance, the James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation, and Nucor Corporation.

About the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.
The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building solutions and activities, including: specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information.

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