20th Annual Bridge Building Contest to showcase youth engineering in action

April 4, 2013

Whitehorse - Science Adventures and the Association of Professional Engineers of Yukon are pleased to welcome everyone to the 20th Annual Bridge Building Contest this Saturday, April 06, at Porter Creek Secondary School in the gym.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the competition a new building category has been added.  The “All-CAN” bridge building category honours those engineers that built the Alaska Highway that was once called the Alcan (Alaska/Canada) Highway. There is no limit to the number of builders who can build a bridge. Teams will compete for a special, honorary trophy. 

Bridge viewing happens between 12:00 and 1:00 pm followed by bridge strength testing. This year 10 schools participated in building just over 140 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 20th 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 three months approximately 215 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.  Robert Service School and Porter Creek Secondary 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.

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For more information:

Heather Dundas                                                         
Coordinator, Science Adventures
Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College                   
t 867.668.8739                 
scienceadventures@yukoncollege.yk.ca