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Using a Nationwide Internet‐Based Bridge Design Contest as a Vehicle for Engineering Outreach
Author(s) -
Ressler Stephen J.,
Ressler Eugene K.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00796.x
Subject(s) - contest , outreach , bridge (graph theory) , engineering , the internet , aeronautics , computer science , political science , medicine , world wide web , law
The West Point Bridge Design Contest is a nationwide competition intended to increase middle school and high school students' interest in engineering. Unique among national engineering competitions, it entails no cost to participants, is entirely Internet‐based, and is achievable by any student with a Web‐enabled computer. By leveraging information technology, a project team of just three people has provided an engaging engineering design experience to over 30,000 students in the past two years. The project receives financial and promotional support from the American Society of Civil Engineers and private industry. Feedback from contestants and teachers indicates that students' interest in engineering is positively affected by their participation in the contest.