President France A. Córdova joined members of the Purdue National Student Steel Bridge Competition committee as they examined entries on Purdue Mall. Civil engineering students from universities around the United States and Canada competed in this year's contest, which was won by North Dakota State University. The 46 competing teams complied with criteria that specified how quickly to erect the bridges; guidelines regarding weight, strength and aesthetics; and restrictions related to environmental consideration. The spans, roughly 20 feet long by 3 feet wide, were tested with punishing stresses until they failed. (featured in Purdue Today, 6/3/10 - Purdue University photo/Mark Simons)

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"Top student bridge builders to compete at Purdue" (Purdue Newsroom, 5/19/10)