K-State’s Steel Bridge team takes second place in regional competition

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - The Kansas State University’s Steel Bridge team took second place in the regional competition and moves on to compete in the national competition.

Kansas State University participated as hosts of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mid-America Student Symposium regional competition in April, which challenged participants to create a one-tenth scale steel bridge, approximately 20 feet in length. The team will travel to the National Steel Bridge Competition June 2-3 on the campus of University of California at San Diego.

According to K-State, the process included designing and fabricating a bridge to support 2,500 pounds of steel. The metrics used to determine the best bridge included the overall aesthetics, the weight and vertical deflection of the bridge, and the time required to build the bridge from steel parts. Each part must fit in a box with dimensions of 4 inches by 6 inches by 4 feet.

Teaching Professor of Civil Engineering, Scott Schiff, is the faculty advisor for the team.

Team Captain Johan Rogers, senior in civil engineering from Frederick, Maryland, shared a comment about the competition.

“Overall, each bridge is scored based on lowest cost, and our bridge came in second with a cost of $21 million,” said Rogers. “Finishing second overall qualified us to make the trip to nationals and finish the year strong.”

In addition to Rogers, members of the Steel Bridge team traveling to San Diego include the following students:

Caden Powell, junior in civil engineering, Abilene; Koby Hesse, senior in civil engineering, Greeley; Cade Rapp, senior in civil engineering, Olathe; Isaac Brakner, junior in civil engineering, Paola; Gabe Flanders, graduate student in civil engineering, Pratt; Ty Reishus, junior in civil engineering, Shawnee; Joe Van Lanen, senior in civil engineering, St. Marys.

From out of state: Kurtis Wicka, 2023 graduate in civil engineering, Paso Robles, Calif.; Morgan Trabert, senior in civil engineering, Rosemount, Minn.; Gavin McGowan, senior in civil engineering, St. Clair, Minn.; Josh Willoughby, senior in civil engineering, Lee’s Summit, Mo.; and Ella Elmendorf, sophomore in civil engineering, St. Peters, Mo.