Teams from Eastern Greenbrier Middle School and PikeView High School in Mercer County took home the most honors at the West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest, held Saturday, April 6, 2024, at WVU Tech in Beckley.
Thirty-eight teams from 21 counties participated in the competition in 2024, which pits middle school and high school students against one another in both computer software and balsa wood model contests to see who can come up with the most cost-effective and sturdiest bridge designs. The contest is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), BridgeWalk, West Virginia Department of Education, and WVU Tech.
Thirty-five teams made it to the finals, with 30 present at the WV Tech campus. The contest is designed to encourage STEM education and inspire tomorrow’s engineers, today. Students can win cash prizes, and every student who participates in the contest gets a free BridgeWalk tour for themselves and their families.
First place in the software design competition went to students from Eastern Greenbrier Middle School in the middle school division, and to students from PikeView High School in the high school division.
First place in the balsa wood bridge competition went to Eastern Greenbrier Middle School in the middle school division, and to PikeView High School in the high school division. In all, PikeView Middle School or High School students took home five awards, while students from Eastern Greenbrier Middle School took home three.
Video from the competition can be viewed on the WVDOT Facebook page. Interviews with contestants and others involved with the competition are featured on the 191st episode of the WVDOT’s podcast, “WV Around the DOT,” which will go live at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 11, 2024. WINNERS:Software competition, middle school:
- Third place, Ben Kelso and Saja Huggi, team Scheming, Eastern Greenbrier Middle School.
- Second place, Laura Du and Riya Zenn, team In it for the money, Suncrest Middle School.
- First place, Emma Vincent and Ellie Burns, team DumbleDores Army, Eastern Greenbrier Middle School.
Software competition, high school:
- Third place, Larry Du and Max Chen, team LarryMax, Morgantown High School.
- Second place, Landon Palmer and Landon Lester, team Landon_Squared, PikeView High School.
- First place, Ben Williams and Jacob Lafferty, team Infinity+2, PikeView High School.
Balsa wood bridge competition, middle school:
- Third place, Carley Coleman, team Tinker Belles, Andrew Jackson Middle School.
- Second place, Laura Du and Riya Zenn, team Initforthemoney, Suncrest Middle School.
- First place, Arabella Webb, team The Strawberries, Eastern Greenbrier Middle School.
- Most creative, John Williams, team Johniscool1000000000.
Balsa wood bridge competition, high school:
- Third place, Janie Gilchrist and Alex Gilchrist, team AsianInvasion, Morgantown High School.
- Second place, Parker Worline and Ethan Coleman, team PandE, Winfield High School.
- First place, Johnathon Scott Meadows, team UNcivil engineering, PikeView High School.
- Most creative, Madelyn Cole and Parker Shrewsbury, team Ihavethehighground, PikeView High School.
- Most creative, Connor Atkins and Lucas Messenger, team Negative Zero,East Fairmont High School.
To register for next year’s contest, download bridge design software, or find out more about the contest, visit https://wvbridgedesignandbuildcontest.com.
