This year’s annual Bridge Bust competition, organized by the Purdue University student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), took place March 6 at the Cordova Recreational Center on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette.

The participating high school teams were from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky, built and tested their miniature bridges using balsa wood and wood glue. The teams were evaluated based on their bridge structural integrity, aesthetics, and presentation, and award. Side events were the Paper Bridge and Penny Boat competitions. Overall, the event sought to introduce high school students in the region to the civil engineering profession.

The high schools represented are: Armstrong High School, Arthur High School, Charleston High School, Clinton High School, Greenwood High School, Hoopeston High School, Kankakee Valley High School, Manchester High School, Merrillville High School, Park Tudor High School, Paxton Buckley Loda (PBL) High School, Pendleton High School, Plymouth High School, and Southmont High School.

All the schools displayed a high quality of presentations and structural designs. The winners are: Presentation – Clinton High School. Structural – Clinton High School. Overall – Clinton High School. Park Tudor High School and Plymouth High School placed 2nd in the Presentation and Overall categories, respectively.

The event was organized by the ASCE Bridge Bust Committee, including Jingyu Xiao, Henry C. Schickel, and Fiona Ye. The event was overseen by ASCE student chapter faculty advisors Professors Samuel Labi and Akanshu Sharma of the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.