Members of the New NY Bridge outreach team recently met with students at Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining on the eve of the students’ entry in the 2015 Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest, a national competition that provides students with a realistic and engaging introduction to engineering.
The outreach team critiqued and praised the students’ work, enabling them to refine their designs.
Timing the visit prior to the middle schoolers’ participation in the internet-based contest, the outreach team showed the students how engineering fundamentals are being applied to the bridge project, helping prepare them for the competition. Led by teacher Maria Levine, the students accessed the contest’s computer program to create bridges of their own design, which will be tested for weight capacity, stability and cost effectiveness in the judging process. The outreach team critiqued and praised the students’ work, enabling them to refine their designs. Members of the winning middle school team will receive $1,000 cash scholarships.
Construction of the New NY Bridge naturally stirs the curiosity of young minds and the perceptive students asked numerous questions of the outreach team. Following an assembly of the entire 7th grade, several inquired about jobs on the project, probing everything from the necessary skill sets to the range of salaries. Students were given examples of the wide variety of career paths and team members shared their experiences and enthusiasm for engineering.
The students accessed the contest’s computer program to create bridges of their own design.
“Many of our students have driven across the Tappan Zee Bridge and are able to see the construction taking place right before their eyes!” said Erica Naughton, principal of Anne Dorner Middle School. “Having the New NY Bridge Project come to present to our students was an excellent way for them to see and make connections to the lessons their teachers are presenting on a daily basis.”
Through their interaction with the students, the team demonstrated how the project is serving as a highly effective teaching tool for an emerging curriculum called STEM, in which students are educated in four specific subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary manner that focuses on real-world applications. The purpose of the project’s educational outreach initiative is to familiarize students with how the new span is being built and to spark interest in their future career paths.
As construction progresses, the outreach team will continue engaging local schools and supporting creative learning opportunities. If you are interested in learning more about the New NY Bridge educational outreach effort, please contact the outreach team. Should you be an elementary, middle or high school educator, we have an age-appropriate presentation for you.
You can also put your own skills to the test by downloading the free Engineering Encounters contest bridge design software.
