A group of high school students looked like the average tour group walking around campus.
But these students carried large bridges made of Popsicle sticks and decorative tri-fold boards, eager for the 15th Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge Contest to begin.
Some of them were dressed in suits, looking professional for the presentation they would later make to professional engineers. Others were eager to test their project and pushed their way to the front of the line to test their bridge, calling, “Me next.”
Andres Laso, a senior at North Hollywood High School, waited for his team’s bridge to be tested by the custom-made loading device constructed by students and faculty in the civil engineering department. One of his team members said they hoped the bridge would just hold at least 10 pounds and they were thrilled when, after several seconds of increasing pressure, it held 80.
Students from 28 high schools throughout Los Angeles and California competed in the contest organized by the UCLA branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Younger Member Forum, a branch of ASCE.
Several hundred students came for the competition. The students tested their bridges and made a presentation about their bridge design. They also did an impromptu engineering contest in which they were given a few supplies and had to make a catapult to launch marshmallows. The students also went on a tour of the campus given by engineering students who pointed out features of the school that civil engineers have contributed to designing.
For their projects, students had to abide by requirements for dimension, weight and what percentage of the stick could be covered in glue. The load was not placed in the center of the bridge, but 8 inches from the edge, so some students constructed their bridge to be strongest there.
After each test, one of the professional engineers would talk to the students, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of their design.
Troy Hoffa, a senior at West High School, designed his bridge based on the winning model from last year, which had a very intricate design. Unlike the model, though, he placed the highest point of the suspension where the load would be placed. The bridge held about 350 pounds and won first place for best aesthetics at the closing ceremonies. Hoffa’s team bridge stayed nearly intact during the testing, except the sticks forming the “road” popped off because of the intense pressure.
Nicky Galloway, external vice president of the engineering society, said the event helped high schoolers see the possibilities of what they can do with engineering.
“We wanted to introduce them to engineering, which is a not a familiar major, and show them what life at college is like,” she said. “Also, people from industry talked about what they do in the field.”
At the closing ceremonies, trophies and plaques were given to students in a number of different categories and professionals spoke about their experiences working as civil engineers.
Don Sepulveda, president of the L.A. section of ASCE, spoke to the students about how much he enjoys his job building trains and hoped students would pursue careers they enjoy. The talkative audience quieted as he talked about what he gets to do at his job every day and the hopes he has for the students.
“Do something you enjoy,” Sepulveda said. “Your generation is going to get us to Mars and beyond.
“Set your sights high.”