2016 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest
Welcome Introduction & Purpose Agenda Engineering as a Career Nationwide Contest Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest Statewide Contest West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest Bridge Designer Software Demonstration -Presenter intro’s self -Purpose – I am here today to talk with you about….. Prepared by: Rahall Transportation Institute 2016
Engineering as a Career Without engineers, life in modern society would not be possible Engineers are people who use their knowledge of math and science to solve real-world problems Types of engineers: Chemical, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical, Nuclear, Petroleum… Civil engineers design and build the nation’s infrastructure
Applying Engineering Knowledge This contest will help students: Learn about engineering and the engineering design process Learn how engineers use the computer as a problem-solving tool Learn about bridges Have fun while challenging your brain!
Engineering Encounters Nationwide Bridge Design Contest Hosted by Engineering Encounters, an organization dedicated to high-quality K-12 educational outreach for engineering Source of free Bridge Design software used for Nationwide and WV Statewide contests Website used to submit all bridge designs, simultaneously entering in both the national and statewide contests, after proper registration Contest open to students in Middle School and High School, in teams of two Qualifying Round ends at 1:00pm on April 22, 2016 bridgecontest.org
West Virginia Statewide Bridge Design & Build Contest Primary sponsor: West Virginia Department of Transportation Objective: getting WV middle school and high school students interested in engineering Enter the “local contest code” WVSW when registering at bridgecontest.org so bridge designs submitted are entered into the WV Statewide contest WV website used to register for the WV statewide contest wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com
West Virginia Statewide Bridge Design & Build Contest Contest open to students in grades 6-12 in public, private, or home schools in West Virginia Students work individually or in teams of two Qualifying Round ends at 11:59pm on April 1, 2016 Top teams will be invited to Final Round, on May 21, 2016 at Marshall University in Huntington, WV
West Virginia Statewide Bridge Design & Build Contest Teams competing in the Final Round will be sent a balsa wood kit and guidelines for construction Teams will have approximately one month to construct their bridge Bridges will be load tested and judged during the Final Round
Nationwide & WV Statewide Contest Registration ALL participants MUST complete BOTH steps below to be registered. Log on to bridgecontest.org and register for the national contest using local contest code: WVSW Log onto wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com to register for West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest* *Will ensure necessary contact information to invite teams to the final round
WV Statewide Contest Prizes Top teams from the Qualifying Round will compete for CA$H prizes in the Final Round WV teachers and volunteers who assist the top teams will be formally recognized and can also win prizes All Final Round participants will be invited to a Bridge Walk tour the day after the Statewide competition
Steps to Compete 1. Form a Team Contestants may compete Individually OR Teams of two Teams perform better and build on each other’s knowledge!
Steps to Compete 2. Install the Software Download the current Bridge Designer software from the national contest website bridgecontest.org
Steps to Compete 3. Design a Bridge Use the Bridge Designer software to design a bridge To be eligible for submission to the contest, the design must Pass the simulated load test Should be as inexpensive as possible (rankings are based on bridge cost) Once the design is complete, save it on your computer as a “bridge design file.”
Steps to Compete 3. Design a Bridge Test Repeat!
Design: Create a Bridge Design Using the Mouse to Draw Members
Test: Load Test the Bridge to Determine Its Strength
If the Design Fails…
Repeat: Modify the Design
Steps to Compete 4. National Contest Registration Log on to bridgecontest.org and register for the national contest Create a team name and password to receive your “Team Home Page” on the contest website Enter local contest code WVSW to be entered in the WV Bridge Design & Build Statewide Contest
Steps to Compete 5. Contest Leaderboards National Contest Leaderboards http://judge.bridgecontest.org/standings/combined http://judge.bridgecontest.org/standings/highschool http://judge.bridgecontest.org/standings/middleschool WV Statewide Contest Leaderboard http://judge.bridgecontest.org/standings/local/wvsw
Steps to Compete 5. Contest Leaderboards
Steps to Compete 6. Submit a Design Log in to the Team Home Page via bridgecontest.org (Provided during registration for National Contest) Upload your “bridge design file” for immediate judging Once upload is complete, the web-based judging system checks to ensure Bridge design passes the load test, determines the team’s contest standings based on the cost of the design Use Bridge Designer 2016 software to refine and improve the design to reduce the cost No limit to the number of designs a team may submit Once the design is complete, save it again as a “bridge design file.”
Steps to Compete 7. WV Statewide Contest Registration Make sure you have completed Step 4 to register for the National Contest and entered Local Contest Code WVSW Log on to the West Virginia Statewide contest wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com and register you team This extra registration step is to ensure we have accurate contact information for each participant
Contest Goal Iterative process: design, design, design again Design the most cost-effective bridge to hold the required test load. The lowest cost bridge that passes the load test WINS!
Final Round Balsa Wood Bridge Build Teams selected for Final Round will receive a balsa wood construction kit Team are required to construct a balsa wood bridge per the rules that will be provided Bridges will be load tested and judged on the day of the Final Round Rules (construction of the bridges, judging criteria, and testing procedure) will be communicated when kits are delivered
Video Tutorials Learn how to use the Bridge Design software at your own pace Jimmy Wriston (WVDOT – WVDOH) demonstrates how to use the 2016 Bridge Designer software and how to optimize your designs to minimize the costs and be more competitive Video links can be found On the WV contest page under “Resources” http://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com/resources/ OR Google Search for “YouTube WV Bridge Design and Build Contest”
Final Rounds The WV 2007 Final Round – Charleston
Final Rounds The WV 2008 Final Round – Huntington
Final Rounds The WV 2009 Final Round – Charleston
More Information Visit Like WVBDBC on Facebook wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com Like WVBDBC on Facebook facebook.com/wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest Contact Carlton Apgar, Rahall Transportation Institute Phone: (304) 528-7261 Email: apgarc@njrati.org
Questions