19th Annual Bridge Building Contest to showcase youth engineering in action

Whitehorse - Science Adventures in partnership with the Association of Professional Engineers of Yukon are pleased to welcome everyone to the 19th Annual Bridge Building Contest this Saturday, April 14, at Porter Creek Secondary School in the gym.

Bridge viewing happens between 12:00 and 1:00 pm followed by bridge strength testing. This year 8 schools participated in building just over 80 different bridges. Join us to witness the loads these bridges can endure before they break.

“We are really excited to see this program in its 19th year, “said Heather Dundas, Coordinator of Science Adventures at the Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College. “So much passion goes into this event. The youth and families that compete are learning engineering principles, design concepts, building skills, and teamwork, and having a great time. It’s really a spectacular show.”

During the past 3 months approximately over 130 Yukon students and members of the public have been building bridges out of wooden coffee stir sticks, white glue and - in some cases - dental floss.
Teams of up to 4 individuals have worked on each bridge and a few teams have built more than one bridge. Jack Hulland School and Robert Service School entered the largest number of bridges this year.

The goal? To build the lightest bridge that can hold the most weight using the bridge criteria as set out in the official rules

All competitors receive a certificate that includes a photo of their bridge before testing and a participation prize. Prizes will also be awarded in each category and there are special prizes for best narrative, best looking, strongest and lightest bridge.

Visit www.scienceadventures.ca for details on the competition.