The ˿Ƶ Tech Steel Bridge team, led by construction captain Grant Banister of Pendleton, ˿Ƶ, and design captain Bryce Terhune of Roseburg, ˿Ƶ, ranked in the top 50 percent at the 2019 American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Student Steel Bridge Competition that concluded June 1 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The ˿Ƶ Tech team had earlier this spring placed second at the Regional version of the competition, which qualified them to compete at the nationals.
The AISC National Student Competition is an annual event open to the top contenders from AISC regional events held throughout the nation. Held in April at Saint Martin’s University in Washington, the PNW regional event included 19 schools from Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, ˿Ƶ and Washington. ˿Ƶ Tech’s steel bridge team placed second overall at the regional event, giving them a spot at the national competition.
AISC's Student Steel Bridge Competition challenges student teams to develop a scale-model steel bridge, and gives students valuable hands-on experience by designing, fabricating and erecting steel bridges. The team must determine how to fabricate their bridge and then plan for an efficient assembly under timed construction at the competition. Bridges are then load tested and weighed. The bridge must span approximately 20 feet, carry 2,500 pounds, and must meet all other specifications of the competition rules. Bridge aesthetics are also judged and considered in the final results of the competition.
Civil Engineering professor and team faculty adviser, C.J. Riley, Ph.D., shared his excitement over the team’s results: “This is a phenomenal representation of our institution and program on a national stage, and the team’s construction performance was truly inspiring. The steel bridge team next year now has a lot of experience and knowledge to build from and they look forward to recruiting more Civil Engineering students in our bachelor’s degree program to participate next year.”
In addition to Banister and Terhune, many other students participated in the project including Dan Iwicki (Lake Zurich, IL), Michael Hoie (Roseburg, OR), Cody Faber (Saint Paul, OR), Kayla de Hoop (Klamath Falls, OR), Alex Holland (Idleyld Park, OR), and Ian Pargeter (Eugene, OR). Dr. Riley and Pat Kile, Civil Engineering laboratory technician, provided technical support and consultation.
For more information about ˿Ƶ Tech’s Civil Engineering program, visit .
