CLARK COUNTY STUDENTS & TEACHERS -- JOIN THE FUN IN 2009!

The 2008 Southern Nevada Regional Student Model Bridge Building Contest was held on March 1st at UNLV, and was a great success. This year we tested 382 bridges submitted by 55 schools from the Southern Nevada Region. Thirty-eight elementary schools participated, submitting 262 bridges in that division. Seventeen middle- and high-schools submitted a combined total of 120 bridges. This was our largest turnout ever.

Congratulations go to David Quagliato from Green Valley High School, the first place winner, and second place winner Chris Wolf from SE Career Technical Academy. These two students will be invited to represent the Southern Nevada Region at the International Bridge Building contest to be held April 26, 2008 in Chicago IL.

If you are interested in participating in the 2009 Southern Nevada Student Model Bridge Building Contest, watch this website for information on the event as it becomes available.

The Southern Nevada Annual Student Model Bridge Building Contest is a regional program and interactive activity that allows students to apply the science and math lessons of the classroom to a hands-on project. The regional contest, which is held each March, enhances the appeal of engineering careers to students and begins establishing their relationships with the professional community.

Using materials from an official kit, students design and construct a small wooden bridge according to specifications (separate ones for elementary, middle, and high school students).

During the contest, each bridge is weighed, tested to failure, and scored by its efficiency, which is the carried load divided by the bridge's weight. Students compete individually and for school prizes in three divisions -- elementary, middle school, and high school -- with prizes and trophies awarded to students in each division who design, build and test the model bridge with the highest efficiency.

The top two high school finishers from each region are eligible to advance to the Interational Contest. For more information, see the International Bridge Contest website.

SOUTHERN NEVADA TEACHERS: Annually, nearly 1,500 students from 8 high schools, 10 middle schools and 30 elementary schools in southern Nevada participate in the regional contest. If you would like assistance in getting a program started in your school, or have any questions about past or future competitions, e-mail pmatuska@lc.usbr.gov. Please encourage your students to participate! It is an exciting and rewarding experience for them, and for the coaches too.

The construction and testing of model bridges promotes the study and application of fundamental principles of physics and engineering and also helps students develop "hands-on" skills through bridge construction. By participating in the annual contest, students experience the life of an engineer, designing structures to a set of specifications and seeing them perform their function. They are also provided with an academically-oriented classroom or extracurricular activity which is recognized school-wide.