ROLLA, Mo. Two UMR student teams will test their mettle and engineering skills on Thursday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24, when they take part in regional bridge-building and concrete canoe competitions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb.

During the bridge-building competition, teams of students from various colleges and universities will construct steel bridges designed to withstand weights of up to 2,500 pounds. Their efforts will be judged according to the speed of construction, bridge weight, bridge stiffness and aesthetic value.

If the team does well during the competition, it will be eligible to take part in a national bridge-building competition later this spring in Golden, Colo. The bridge team’s faculty advisor is Dr. Roger LaBoube, Distinguished Teaching Professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.

In the concrete canoe competition, the team will attempt to navigate the canoe they built out of concrete across several staged race events. The teams will be judged not only on their ability to successfully complete timed events, but also on written and oral reports. The winning school will also advance to a national competition to be held later this spring. UMR’s team faculty advisor is Dr. John J. Myers, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.

Both competitions are annual events sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers at the participating campuses.