The base layer of the team’s bridge. Photo submitted.

A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will test the principles of bridge building by constructing a scale-model steel bridge as part of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2015 Mid-Continent Student Conference.

The conference will be held Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, at the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, Kansas.

Missouri S&T’s Steel Bridge Design Team will compete with other regional collegiate teams to construct its bridge as fast as possible. The competition is scored based on a dollar amount rather than a points system. This scoring simulates the actual accounting process involved in determining the budget for an actual bridge construction project.

The bridge is scored on its weight and rigidity, construction speed and the number of team members building the bridge. Penalties are assessed for infractions like dropping bolts, holding two pieces of the bridge at once and stepping over designated lines. Each bridge is also “load tested” to see if it can hold a required amount of weight.

This year, Missouri S&T’s team designed an over-truss bridge, with steel beams that arch across the top of the road portion of the bridge. It weighs approximately 160 pounds and is comprised of fewer than 50 pieces.

Missouri S&T’s team plans to have only five students construct the bridge at the competition. Prior to the competition, team members practice several hours a day to improve their construction speed.

Joel Cates, a senior in mechanical engineering from Pawnee, Illinois, is the team leader and Dr. Timothy Philpot, an associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, is the Steel Bridge Team faculty advisor.

The Missouri S&T Steel Bridge Team members are:

Melissa Bartell, a junior in ceramic engineering from Saint Charles, Missouri

Benjamin Calvert, a senior in mechanical engineering from Sedalia, Missouri

Joel Cates, a senior in mechanical engineering from Pawnee, Illinois

Randi Cory, a junior in civil and architectural engineering from Atchison, Kansas

Matthew Duncan, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Moberly, Missouri

Nikkolas Edgmond, a senior in civil engineering from Labadie, Missouri

Shelby Gross, a senior in mechanical engineering and engineering management from Saint Charles, Missouri

Kayla Hindle, a senior in engineering management from Wildwood, Missouri

Sarah Jemison, a junior in civil and architectural engineering from Nixa, Missouri

Scott Jemison, a senior in civil engineering from Nixa, Missouri

Kyle Kentner, a sophomore in engineering from Liberal, Missouri

Matthew Klegseth, a senior in civil and architectural engineering from Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Sara Koestner, a senior in civil and architectural engineering from Russellville, Missouri

Jonathan Kuchem, a sophomore in civil engineering from Augusta, Missouri

Kollin Liefer, a senior in mechanical engineering from Red Bud, Illinois

Alex Marey, a junior in computer science from Wildwood, Missouri

George Nugent, a senior in civil engineering from Saint Charles, Missouri

Nathaniel Oberley, a junior in civil engineering from Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ben Parr, a sophomore in mechanical engineering from Old Monroe, Missouri

Alec Schlotzhauer, a junior in civil and architectural engineering from Manhattan, Kansas

Timothy Schmitt, a senior in civil and architectural engineering from Bonita Springs, Florida

Derek Schnoebelen, a junior in civil engineering from Liberty, Missouri

Austin Shull, a senior in architectural engineering from La Monte, Missouri

Lauren Tomanek, sophomore in mechanical engineering from Springfield, Missouri

Andrea Wolfe, a senior in mechanical engineering and engineering management from Waterloo, Illinois.