Colorado students showed off their engineering prowess today during the 2010 Colorado High School Bridge Building Competition at the Bureau of Reclamation’s hydraulic and materials laboratories in Lakewood.
Kayla Wiggin, a student at Cherry Creek High School, won first place in Region One (the north) while Benjamin Motaei, a student at Cheyenne Mountain High School, took first place in Region Two (the south).
Also in Region One, Joe Stanek of Mullen High School placed second, Alex Gillett of Cherry Creek High School placed third, Aaron Bugh of Cherry Creek High School placed fourth and Joshua Nelson of Lakewood High School came in fifth.
In Region Two, Joseph Vigil of Pueblo East High School came in second, Tim Jancik of Cheyenne Mountain High School placed third, Jeff Coombs of Rifle High School came in fourth and Max Vanatta of Cheyenne Mountain High School placed fifth.
Students could only use basswood and glue to make the bridges. The bridges were judged on their structural efficiency ratio, which is the maximum load of the bridge divided by its weight.
Wiggin’s bridge weighed 29.81 grams and held 39.38 kilograms, 1,321 times its weight. Motaei’s weighed 25.54 grams and held 96.09 kilograms, 3,762 times its weight.
The top two in each region will compete in the international competition to be held April 30 at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Mitchell Byars: 303-954-1698 or mbyars@denverpost.com
