Young Minds Converge on IIT Main Campus for 2015 Chicago Regional Bridge Building Contest

Bright young minds interested in STEM gathered on the IIT Main Campus on Tuesday, January 27, 2015, for the 2015 Chicago Regional Bridge Contest. The students, representing several Chicago area high schools, set out to build the most efficient balsa wood bridges for their physics classes.

Each student is given a standard kit to build from and can only use conventional adhesives. During the competition, bridges are tested for efficiency by adding weight to each bridge until they reach their breaking point.

The Gacher Trophy was awarded to the students below who built the most efficient bridge in each region. The most efficient bridge overall was built by Ryan Hastings from Lincoln-Way West High School. He will represent the Chicago Region at the 2015 International Bridge Building Contest at the Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon, on April 25, 2015.

The competition is sponsored by the Illinois Institute of Technology and hosted by Carlo Segre, Duchossois Leadership Professor; Professor of Physics; Deputy Director of Materials Research Collaborative Access Team (MRCAT); Director of the Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research and Instrumentation (CSRRI) and Deputy Director of BioCAT and John Kallend, Associate Dean of Accreditation for Armour College of Engineering and Professor of Materials Engineering.

Alumnus George Krupa (CE ‘72, M.S. SE ‘77) was in attendance to judge the competition. Another alumnus, Bob Johnson (CE ‘69, M.S. CE ‘71), a longtime supporter of the competition, was on hand to take photos. He shared all the images used in this article.

2015 Gacher Trophy Winners

For a complete listing of scores click here.