Teams of first-year students from the School of Engineering competed against each other on Feb. 6 and 7 to see which team could build the strongest bridge out of toothpicks as part of a class project teaching them the fundamentals of engineering design, management, and documentation.
In all, more than 100 students in five sections of EGR 107 participated in a series of competitions to test the toothpick bridges, which are weighted down until they break, often after being loaded with as much as 50 pounds.
Six Middle Georgia media outlets covered the events, for links to coverage see the bottom of the page.
The students are enrolled in EGR 107 – Introduction to Engineering Design – have been designing and building their toothpick bridges over the past several weeks. The exercise is meant to prepare them for their final project, a competition in which students team to build vehicles out of kits and household goods that will compete against each other in a variety of events. That event, in April, draws big crowds to the University Center arena, as parents and friends cheer on the more than 100 competitors. Both the toothpick competition and the April vehicle design competition are part of the School of Engineering’s innovative first-year design sequence. The events serve as fun and challenging ways for students to put their designs to the test and learn the skills necessary to succeed in the engineering field.
Want to read more, check out these stories in the media:
Story by The Telegraph
http://www.macon.com/198/story/261582.html
Telegraph video
http://videos.macon.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1702214
WMAZ CBS 13 Story and Video
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local_story.aspx?storyid=48705
WGXA Fox 24 story and video
http://fox24.com/article.asp?pkid=11053
WPGA ABC 58 story
http://www.macon.tv/news/local/15406701.html
