Who Can Build the Better Bridge?

"When the time comes, I know we'll do fine," said Cal State Northridge's Steel Bridge Team co-captain Hector Gonzalez, (from left) with teammates Jose Sanchez, Paul Mendoza, co-captain Nallely Olguin and Miriam Nguyen, all seniors in civil engineering.

Fresh from its first place overall win in the regional bridge building competition in San Diego, the team went on to prove Gonzalez right at the spring 2007 National Student Steel Bridge Competition, hosted for the first time by Cal State Northridge.

Sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Steel Construction, the prestigious event attracted more than 500 students, all determined to build the best bridge.

And they built some beauties. Aesthetics alone did not suffice, however. Speed also counted, as did lightness, construction economy and the stiffness and structural efficiency of each 20-foot long bridge.

Northridge finished 29th overall in the nation, improving by 25 percent its score in the regionals.

"Our students work hard and get better each time out," said Steve Gadomski, Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department chair. The competition represented CSUN's sixth invitation to the nationals in eight years.

Not pictured are team members Gevork Mkrtchyan, Jose Rodriguez, Carlos Chaidez and Victor Turcious. Civil engineering and applied mechanics part-time lecturer Edward Larson is team advisor.