Civil engineering students from Lamar University and nine other schools from two nations will show off their engineering prowess Saturday at the American Society of Civil Engineers Texas-Mexico Regional Steel Bridge Competition.
Lamar University’s Department of Civil Engineering ASCE student chapter will host the competition, which will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Ford Park. More than 150 students from 10 universities in Texas and Mexico are expected to compete.
Along with Lamar University, competitors will come from Texas A&M University-College Station, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas Tech University, University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio and La Salle Cuernavaca Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
Students will build steel bridges on site in front of judges. Bridges then will be tested for their load-bearing capabilities. Judging will be based on factors including construction speed, construction economy, lightness, aesthetics, structural efficiency and overall performance.
Robert Yuan, chairman of the Lamar University civil engineering department, said the competition offers beneficial opportunities to students, particularly Lamar students, in a number of ways. Practical experience tops the list.
“They get knowledge of building bridges in a practical sense and observe the other universities’ technologies,” Yuan said. “The exchange of information for bridge building is very helpful.
“Nowadays, one of the major parts of the infrastructure in this country that needs to be repaired is bridges,” Yuan said, mentioning the Minnesota bridge collapse last year.
Additionally, members of LU’s ASCE student chapter learn professionalism by hosting a professional competition and get a chance to network with their peers from other universities, Yuan said. Lamar University also has an opportunity to showcase its civil engineering program and facilities.
