Contact: Timothy McKernan, (619) 594-2588; mckernan@mail.sdsu.edu

SDSU Students Build a Bridge to Alaska

SAN DIEGO, CA, May 26, 1999 ó How fast can you build a bridge? A team of five SDSU civil engineering students can do it in about two minutes, and they have the trophies to prove it. We invite you to witness the flurry of activity as the SDSU team practices constructing their entry for this year's National Steel Bridge Building Competition on Wednesday, May 26, at 5 p.m. in front of the Engineering Building on campus.

This weekend's competition, hosted by the University of Alaska at Anchorage and sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, tests the ability of students to construct scale-model steel bridges using specific materials under strict time constraints. The bridges are evaluated on design and ability to withstand stress in addition to how quickly they are constructed.

SDSU teams have been selected to compete in the National Steel Bridge Building Competition in six of the past seven years ­ itself a record ­ and never finished lower than seventh place among the 40 competing universities. Those 40 are selected annually from a field of nearly 300 universities.

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