Photo by Bob Phelan, Missouri S&T.

A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will construct a scale-model steel bridge as part of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2014 National Student Steel Bridge Competition. The event will be held Friday, May 23, through Saturday, May 24, at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

Missouri S&T’s Steel Bridge Design Team took first place in a 13-team regional conference earlier in the year. The first-place win earned the team a chance to compete at the national event.

At the event, nearly 50 teams will compete to construct their bridges as fast as possible. Each team will be judged on the weight and stiffness of its bridge, construction speed and the number of team members building the bridge. Penalties are assessed for infractions such as dropping bolts, holding two pieces of the bridge at once or stepping over designated safety lines.

Missouri S&T’s 1:10 scale model bridge weighs 320 pounds and is comprised of 22 pieces and more than 70 bolts. It is 17 feet long.

Throughout the spring semester, team members worked long hours in the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center on the Missouri S&T campus, improving the bridge’s design and fabrication. The bridge beams were cut in the Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center at S&T, using water-jet technology.

Dr. Timothy Philpot, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, is the Steel Bridge Team faculty advisor, and Jermy Jamison, a senior in mechanical engineering from Grain Valley, Mo., is the 2014 team leader.

The following students are part of the 2014 Steel Bridge Team:

Takota Anderson, a senior in mechanical engineering from Stark City, Mo.

Natalie Bouxsein, a senior in civil engineering from Sugar Hill, Ga.

Joel Cates, a junior in mechanical engineering from Pawnee, Ill.

Miranda Cory, a freshman in civil engineering from Atchison, Kan.

Matthew Duncan, a freshman in mechanical engineering from Moberly, Mo.

Shelby Gross, a junior in mechanical engineering from St. Charles, Mo.

Kayla Hindle, a junior in engineering from Wildwood, Mo.

Tyler Ishmael, a junior in mechanical engineering from Grain Valley, Mo.

Jermy Jamison, a senior in mechanical engineering from Grain Valley, Mo.

Sarah Jemison, a sophomore in architectural engineering from Nixa, Mo.

Nick Kaesik, a senior in architectural engineering from Freeburg, Mo.

Matthew Klegseth, a junior in civil engineering from Kansas City, Mo.

Sara Koestner, a junior in architectural engineering from Russellville, Mo.

Lynsey Lahey, a senior in civil engineering from Kirkwood, Mo.

Alex Marey, a freshman in computer science from Wildwood, Mo.

David Muller, a senior in architectural engineering from Ballwin, Mo.

Nathaniel Oberley, a sophomore in civil engineering from Virginia Beach, Va.

Holly Olson, a senior in mechanical engineering from Nanjemoy, Md.

Sarah Padgett, a senior in civil engineering from Topeka, Kan.

Kyle Roberts, a senior in architectural and civil engineering from Hannibal, Mo.

Alec Schlotzhauer, a sophomore in architectural engineering from Manhattan, Kan.

Austin Shull, a senior in architectural engineering from La Monte, Mo.

Samantha Smith, a senior in civil engineering from Washington, Ill.

Darrell Wallace, a senior in civil engineering from Lee’s Summit, Mo.