MPC Happy campers in 2016 as MPC reaches secondary school students
Posted: Jul 28, 2016
Students enter bridge design/build competition at SDSU
In June, 36 local middle and high school students participated in the week-long Youth Engineering Adventure (YEA) Camp at South Dakota State University. Bridge engineering was the focus of one of the camp's activities. In a hands-on exercise, participants learned about different bridge systems and how they function by following instructions to construct different types of bridges using index cards and common craft/office supplies. Bridges were tested with weights to compare how the bridges performed. In a design/build competition, student teams were given a site layout that required a bridge with two unequal spans to cover a gap with elevation and plan changes. The loading represented a pair of live loads that move across the bridge at the same time. The building materials could be purchased from the "store" for varying prices, and each team had to complete their bridge on a $10 budget. The team that spent the least, yet still safely transported the moving loads, was named the winner. The winning bridge cost was about $6.50.
Ninth graders study transportation up close at University of Utah
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Utah hosted 23 ninth grade students interested in exploring transportation engineering for the annual National Transportation Summer Institute Camp July 11-15. Four groups of students created digital presentations covering various transportation topics. They defined transportation engineering, explained how infrastructure is built and paid for, outlined the cost of transportation infrastructure, and described new innovations and designs of traffic systems. Campers also interacted with guest speakers from Union Pacific, UTA, UDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). A favorite activity was visiting the UDOT Airport Hangar and driving the simulator in the Civil Engineering Traffic Lab. Students also tested the speed of cars driving around campus with radar guns and visited the UDOT Traffic Operations Center, several construction sites, and local transit facilities.
In June, 36 local middle and high school students participated in the week-long Youth Engineering Adventure (YEA) Camp at South Dakota State University. Bridge engineering was the focus of one of the camp's activities. In a hands-on exercise, participants learned about different bridge systems and how they function by following instructions to construct different types of bridges using index cards and common craft/office supplies. Bridges were tested with weights to compare how the bridges performed. In a design/build competition, student teams were given a site layout that required a bridge with two unequal spans to cover a gap with elevation and plan changes. The loading represented a pair of live loads that move across the bridge at the same time. The building materials could be purchased from the "store" for varying prices, and each team had to complete their bridge on a $10 budget. The team that spent the least, yet still safely transported the moving loads, was named the winner. The winning bridge cost was about $6.50.
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Utah hosted 23 ninth grade students interested in exploring transportation engineering for the annual National Transportation Summer Institute Camp July 11-15. Four groups of students created digital presentations covering various transportation topics. They defined transportation engineering, explained how infrastructure is built and paid for, outlined the cost of transportation infrastructure, and described new innovations and designs of traffic systems. Campers also interacted with guest speakers from Union Pacific, UTA, UDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). A favorite activity was visiting the UDOT Airport Hangar and driving the simulator in the Civil Engineering Traffic Lab. Students also tested the speed of cars driving around campus with radar guns and visited the UDOT Traffic Operations Center, several construction sites, and local transit facilities.