YSU Steel Bridge Team Advances to Nationals
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A team of six Youngstown State University civil engineering students will compete May 27 and 28 in the National Steel Bridge Competition at Brigham Young University in Utah.
The team, representing the YSU student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, defeated teams from 13 other universities and placed first at the Ohio Valley Student Conference Steel Bridge Competition in Cincinnati to advance to the national competition.
“Our engineering students went up against students from 13 other schools in Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, including the University of Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Carnegie Mellon, and placed at the top,” said Anwarul Islam, professor and chairman of civil/environmental and chemical engineering at YSU.
The Steel Bridge Competition involves the design, fabrication, construction and testing of a 21- to 22-foot steel structure that meets specifications set by ASCE and the American Institute of Steel Construction. At the competition, the bridge is judged on construction speed, lightness, stiffness, economy, efficiency and aesthetics.
The YSU team ranked first overall at the regional competition. The YSU students also ranked first in construction speed, building the bridge in 6.97 minutes, less than half of the time of the second place team, Western Kentucky University, at 13.92 minutes. The YSU team placed first in the economy category and second in lightness, display, stiffness and efficiency.
Team members are Harold “B.J.” Winner (captain) of Mercer, Pa.; David Mendenhall of Poland; Nico Pagley of Wampum, Pa.; Thomas Carnes of Lake Milton; Kenny Anderson of Ashtabula; and Leah McConnell of Hubbard.
Pictured: Members of the YSU Steel Bridge team are, from left, Nico Pagley, David Mendenhall, Tommy Carnes, Harold “B.J.” Winner, Kenny Anderson, Nico Lucarelli, Jake Millerleile, Leah McConnell, Miranda DeFuria, Taylor Simcox and Karen Schilling.
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