Colorado high school students compete at the 52nd annual Colorado High School Bridge Building Competition at the Bureau of Reclamation Laboratory in Denver

Written by: Peter Soeth

A bridge being tested at the 2018 Colorado High School Bridge Building competition.Students from throughout Colorado descended upon the Bureau of Reclamation's laboratory in Denver, Colorado, for the 2019 Colorado High School Bridge Building Competition. They bring their wooden bridges to test the strength of their designs, competing against other students and schools from throughout the state.

For this competition, students experience what it is like to be an engineer. They are provided specifications and must design a bridge to meet the specifications and intended purpose. In the end, the competition is decided on who designed the most efficient bridge.

Colorado is divided into two regions and awards are provided in each. The winners are determined by how efficient the bridge is. That is the maximum load the bridge held divided by the weight of the bridge. The top two winners in each region were invited to attend the 2019 International Bridge Competition in Baltimore, Maryland.

The winners in Region 1 are:

• Andre Stablein of Front Range Christian repeated as champion with an efficiency of 9,193.
• Lynn Nguyen of Denver School of Science & Technology finished second with an efficiency of 5,615.
• Brittany Than of Denver School of Science & Technology finished third with an efficiency of 5,477.

The winners in Region 2 are:

• Tyler Church of Rifle High School finished first with an efficiency of 7,469
• Jeurdan Directo of Rampart High School finished second with an efficiency of 5,858
• Nathaniel Westlake of Rampart High School finished third with an efficiency of 4,311

Front Range Christian High School of Littleton, Colorado won the school competition in Region 1 with an average school efficiency of 6,239. Denver School of Science & Technology was second (5,215) and Englewood High School was third (2,632).

Rampart High School of Colorado Springs, Colorado won the school competition in Region 2 with an average school efficiency of 4,392. Canon City High School was second (3,336) and Rifle High School was third (3,114).

The Colorado High School Bridge Building Competition is sponsored by the Bureau of Reclamation, National Society of Professional Engineers of Colorado and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado. Learn more about the competition at http://www.nspe-co.org/events_bridge_building.php.

Published on March 21, 2019