[[ARCHITECTURE]] [[Bridge]] [[Competition]] [[Director]] [[Infrastructure]] [[Steel]] [[Student]] [[These]] [[University]] [[Wayne]] [[wiki-architecture]] # Student Steel Bridge Competition The American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition is an annual contest where teams of university students from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapters studying the field of structural engineering where the students design and fabricate a bridge. The bridges must follow the specifications worded out in the rule book. Once the bridges are fabricated, students will go and build assemble the bridge at a competition. History The competition began as a miniature bridge design competition using balsa wood to see which competitor's bridge is the best. Robert E. Shaw Jr., Associate Director of Education for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), initiated the steel bridge competition in the spring of 1987 and was honored by the AISC in 2000. The first teams to compete were Lawrence Technological University (who hosted the competition), Wayne State University, and Michigan Technological University. In 1988, the competition grew to four regional conference competitions: North Central at the University of Detroit, Great Lakes at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Carolinas at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Ohio Valley at the University of Louisville. In 1992, Fromy Rosenberg, who was the Director of AISC College Relations, began the first National Student Steel Bridge Competition. Past champions The following are past champions. Scoring The different criteria in the competition that will be judged are: Construction Time Number of Builders Total Weight Aggregate Deflection Lateral Deflection These different criteria go into two different formulas to calculate the construction cost and economy cost. There are also penalties that can cause the construction time or weight to increase. The overall winner has the lowest sum from the construction economy and structural efficiency categories. Regional advancement Getting to the National Competition—teams compete at regional conferences around the United States. The top teams from each region are invited to compete at the National Competition each year. In a region of 2–6 teams, the top competitor advances to nationals. In a region of 7–12 teams, the top two competitors advance to nationals. In a region of 13–18 teams, the top three competitors advance to nationals. In a region with 19 or more teams, the top four competitors advance to nationals. Awards AISC provides award plaques for the top teams at Student Steel Bridge regional Competitions. The top teams at each of the 20 SSBC regional competitions are recognized in seven categories along with the overall winning teams. Top teams at the Student Steel Bridge Competition Finals are recognized with award plaques in eight categories along with the overall winning teams and special award winners. The categories where students can receive these awards are in: Construction Speed Lightness Aesthetics Stiffness Cost Estimate Economy Efficiency Overall The overall winners of the national competition also receive other rewards in addition to there award plaques. The details of these rewards are detailed in the table below. Special Awards In addition to the standard award plaques, eligible participating teams may also win special awards that recognize extraordinary achievements. These awards do not factor into the category scores or overall performance rating of a bridge. The following are the special awards currently offered by AISC. See also List of engineering awards References External links AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition