On the 23rd June ten graduate members of the Institutions of Civil & Structural Engineers came to Frome College to run a one-day bridge-building competition with forty Year 10 Students.
The graduates, who have received training from S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) to become Ambassadors of Science & Engineering, put together an exciting introduction to engineering and bridge design. They came from different branches of engineering and represented some world famous engineering companies including Arups and Buro Happold.
The Frome College pupils, working in groups of 4, were given a brief of building a bridge of 1m clear span. They each had a ball of string and sellotape and had to ‘purchase’ A4 paper and card, encouraging the pupils to concentrate on their design and plan ahead.
Prizes were given for the most economical design (the bridge with the highest load/cost ratio), the most elegant design and also the most spectacular collapse! Both the graduates and students found it an inspirational day and are looking forward to future collaborative projects.
This project has been made possible by the generosity of the Institution of Structural Engineers and Institution of Civil Engineers and the graduates who have given their time for free.
View brief (PDF)