In March, the Commack High School participated in Brookhaven National Lab's bridge building contest. Though not all the members of Commack FEC did not participate in it, I as well as 12 others from Commack did. It was a very important event for the technology department in Commack. There were about 200 students from all over Long Island who participated in the contest. Each student was required to build their own bridge by using 3/32-inch square cross-section basswood and any adhesive to hold the wood together. In adddition, there were many restrictions set that determined whether or not your bridge was eligible to be entered in the contest. The link below describes the rules and specifications of each bridge:
http://www.bnl.gov/education/PDFs/2012%20BRIDGE.pdf
Each bridge in the contest was placed in a machine which lowered and measured a load right onto the loading point of the bridge. Weights would be lowered and suspended onto the bridge until the bridge snapped and was no longer capable of holding the weight. Then the amount of weight the bridge held was divided by the actual mass of the bridge to get the structural efficiency. The person with the highest structural efficiency was declared the winner. Prizes were given for first, second, and third place as well as an aesthetic award for bridge design. The first and second place winners were sponsored by the Brookhaven Science Associates to participate in the national bridge competition held in a new location every year.
There was a lot of competition at the contest this past year. The actual contest took place on Saturday, March 31st, 2012. Watching the contest along with weight being suspended on the bridges followed by bridges snapping was very nerve wracking, yet exciting. However, Commack did not place in the top three spots. I placed number 24 out of more than 100 students in the contest and was the top freshman. It was disappointing that students from Commack did not place in the top 3 places, but we are all proud of ourselves and our success. Seniors and juniors from Patchogue-Medford took places 1-23 as well as 25-28. They had built some unbelievable bridges. Overall, this was a great experience. The whole experience and building of the bridge was not too difficult. In my opinion, the hardest part was actually designing the bridge and coming up with an idea so each bridge would be very light, yet strong by holding a lot of weight. This was an experience I will always remember and an event I will continue participating in in my future.
Here are some pictures from the contest:
Hope everyone is having a great summer! Enjoy!
~Ashley
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