Teams from 18 universities, including six from Florida, competed in the regional Student Steel Bridge Competition run by the American Institute of Steel Construction. The regional competition was held at the Knoxville Convention Center on Thursday and Friday, March 28-29, 2019.
The competition kicked off on Thursday evening with teams displaying their bridges in World’s Fair Park beneath the Sunsphere. Aesthetic judging took place then.
On Friday, each team raced the clock to assemble its steel bridge. Bridges were then weighed and tested with lateral and vertical loads. Bridges were judged on aesthetics, lightness, stiffness, economy of construction, and structural efficiency. The team from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez came in first overall, followed by the University of Florida in second and Kennesaw State University (Georgia) in third.
FBPE Executive Director Zana Raybon and Assistant Executive Director Rebecca Sammons volunteered again as gatekeepers for the competition, wrangling teams in the staging area prior to the time to construct their bridges.