Two UMR student teams tested their mettle and engineering skills on Thursday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24, when they placed third in regional bridge-building and concrete canoe competitions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb.

The Steel Bridge Team placed third, qualifying for the national competition at Colorado School of Mines on May 28-29 in Golden, Colo. During the bridge-building competition, teams of students from various colleges and universities constructed steel bridges designed to withstand weights of up to 2,500 pounds. Their efforts were judged according to the speed of construction, bridge weight, bridge stiffness and aesthetic value.

In the concrete canoe competition, the team placed third overall, first in final product judging and second in oral presentation. They navigated the canoe they built out of concrete across several staged race events. The teams were judged not only on their ability to successfully complete timed events, but also on written and oral reports.

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