University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

PHOTO/MEDIA ADVISORY for Friday, May 25, & Saturday, May 26, 2007

Hundreds of Student Engineers to Converge on CSUN
to See Who Can Build the Better Bridge

What:

More than 500 civil engineering students from across the country will gather at Cal State Northridge to see who can build the better bridge.

Students from about 45 colleges and universities will be taking part in the National Student Steel Bridge Competition, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Institute of Steel Construction. This is the first time Northridge has been asked to host the event, which is designed to test how well the students can design and build a 20-foot long steel bridge capable of supporting a 2,500-pound load.

When:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26, 2007
Aesthetics judging will take place at 2 p.m. Friday.
Teams assemble bridges all day Saturday. (Because this is a representation of an actual bridge, time is very important. Mistakes are penalized; if anything is dropped or out of bounds—even assemblers—it is taken into account in the final score.)
Testing for sway and weight-bearing ability will take place all day Saturday.

Where:

Redwood Hall
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge (off Zelzah Avenue)
Thomas Guide Grid 501 A-6

Who:

More than 500 civil engineering students from around the country

Contacts:

Carmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN PR, (818) 677-2130
Brett Grunert, event coordinator, CSUN Dept. of Civil Engineering, (818) 645-4468 (will be at event)