1. The West Point Bridge Design Contest Developed and Offered by The U. S. Military Academy at West Point bridgecontest Sponsored by The American Society of Civil Engineers

2. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules This Presentation  The West Point Bridge Design Contest Background Goals How It Works Logistics  Results of Last Year’s Contest  The Future

3. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Background “THE OLDEST EXTANT INSTITUTE IN THE U. S. TO OFFER FORMAL ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING” Background

4. GoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules The Nation’s First School of Engineering Background

5. GoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules The West Point Bicentennial Engineering Design Contest  Originally conceived as a balsa bridge-building contest.  Changed to an Internet-based format: To achieve broader participation. To reduce cost. To give the contest a high-tech character. To create a more realistic design experience.  Conducted November 2001 to April 2002.  Highly successful... So let’s keep doing it! Background

6. GoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Goals  Commemorate the engineering heritage of West Point.  Provide students with an opportunity to: Learn about engineering and the engineering design process. Learn how engineers use the computer as a problem-solving tool. Learn about bridges. Goals

7. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules What We’re Trying to Do  Achieve broad participation among students who might not otherwise be interested in engineering. No cost to participants. No constraints on the number of teams per school. Substantial prizes. Internet-based entry, judging, and feedback.  Provide a high-quality educational experience. Use simulation software to create an authentic engineering design experience. Facilitate collaboration with teachers, practicing engineers, other students. Provide supplemental learning resources. Goals

8. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules How It Works  Register on the contest website.  Download the West Point Bridge Designer 2004 software.  Use WPBD to design a bridge.  Upload the design to the website for automated judging.  Receive instant feedback about contest standing.  Current top 80 teams automatically posted to the web Scoreboard. How It Works

9. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules The West Point Bridge Designer  Look and feel of a standard CAD package.  Easy to create a successful design.  Hard to create a competitive design.  A proven educational tool: Over 250,000 copies downloaded since 2000. Has won two major national software awards. Formally endorsed as an educational tool by the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Runs on Windows 98 (or later) PC.  Free and in the public domain. How It Works

10. Create a bridge design by drawing with the mouse…

11. Create a bridge design by drawing with the mouse.

12. Run a simulated load test to verify its strength.

13. If it fails, go back to the drawing board…

14. …to correct the problem and optimize the design.

15. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Automated Judging and Feedback  Contestant uploads a “bridge design file” created with WPBD.  The contest website: Validates the load test and cost. Checks for and rejects duplicate entries. Determines the current standing. Saves the design in the contest database. Provides immediate feedback. Posts top designs to the web Scoreboard.  Contestants may submit as many designs as they wish. How It Works

16. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Eligibility  Anyone can enter, submit designs, and receive feedback.  Eligibility for prizes: Students age 13 through grade 12... Who are attending U.S. schools... Or are U.S. citizens attending schools overseas.  We comply with COPPA (Children’s On-Line Privacy Protection Act). Rules

17. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Teams  Contestants may compete individually or in teams of two.  Prizes indirectly encourage two-person teams.  Teams perform better! Rules

18. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Contest Schedule  Qualifying Round: January 8-April 5, 2004 Open to all. No restrictions on collaboration.  Semi-Final Round: April 17, 2004 Top 10 finishers from each of four contest zones. No collaboration outside of the team allowed. Monitored by a teacher or contest volunteer.  Final Round: May 14, 2004 Top 5 finishers. No collaboration outside of the team allowed. Rules

19. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Prizes  Cash scholarships for the top two teams (amount to be determined).  Notebook computer for each member of the 5 finalist teams. Scholarships can be used at any school. Rules

20. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules An Additional Learning Resource  Helps teachers integrate the Bridge Designer into classroom instruction in math, science, and technology.  Provides hands-on projects, based on rigorous math and science concepts.  Available for free download from our website now. How It Works

21. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Designing and Building File-Folder Bridges  LA#1: Build a Model of a Truss Bridge  LA#2: Test the Strength of Structural Members  LA#3: Analyze a Truss  LA#4: Design a Truss Bridge with a Computer  LA#5: Design and Build a Model Truss Bridge Prefabrication Construction Testing Design How It Works

22. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Budget and Funding  Project Budget: Approximately $180,000 Contest Coordinator salary Prizes Publicity  Project Funding American Society of Civil Engineers Other donors...we hope!  All software and web development provided by USMA faculty at no cost to the project. Funding

23. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Results of Last Year’s Contest  77,653 unique bridge design submissions.  13,477 teams submitted designs.  Approximately 16,100 eligible participants. 18% female 19% other than white  Favorable media coverage.  Much positive feedback from teachers. Not too bad for a 3-person project team. Last Year

24. Unique Hits Per Day Software Downloads Contest Website Activity Learning Activities Manual Downloads

25. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Some Representative Feedback  “The Bridge Design Contest was an adventure. Educational, fun, competitive, work—most everything rolled into one package. The students are mentally exhausted and almost lost without another day to take just a few minutes to consider another design improvement.”  “A friend told me about the bridge design program.... What fun! My 13-year old son has spent HOURS with it. He’s a recovering Lego addict, yet he declared WPBD more satisfying than just snapping bricks together. We haven’t come anywhere close to the best scores yet, but he’s motivated to try.... At first, he just tried things willy-nilly. Now, he’s started coming to me with questions about strategies based on analysis. A budding engineer?” Last Year

26. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules Some Representative Feedback  “I just wanted to convey to you what a great, instructive, and user-friendly program this is for middle school students. All fifty 6th graders were able to design a working bridge on their own within 20 minutes of individual work time. This session motivated many to download the program at home and continue working and competing in their own time. The instant feedback... about individual standings is fantastic. Bridge-building has caught on in many other grade levels throughout the school. Students are choosing to stay in during their recess time to design, and the math department has integrated the program into their classes as well. I wanted to convey to you the program's success at our school and the enthusiasm it has created. I don't know if we will generate any winners (!), but there are certainly many more eager engineers in our school!” Last Year

27. The 2003 Final Round

28. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules The 2003 Final Round Last Year The 2003 Champions

29. BackgroundGoalsHow It WorksFundingLast YearThe FutureRules The Future  We hope to continue running the contest as long as: Student participation is strong. We can continue to get funding.  You can help by: Participating in the contest. Encouraging others to participate. Let a math, science, or technology teacher know about the contest. The Future

30. The West Point Bridge Design Contest bridgecontest Then......and now