Model Bridge Contest to be Held at Brookhaven Lab, March 12, 2005

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Contact: Peter Genzer, (631) 344-3174 | Written by Diane Greenberg

Model Bridge Contest to be Held at Brookhaven Lab, March 12, 2005

March 3, 2005

EVENT: Destructive testing of model bridges will provide a great photo opportunity as Suffolk County high school students compete in the 2005 BNL Model Bridge Contest. Media representatives are invited to attend. Students, parents, and teachers will be available for interviews. The event is closed to the general public because of space limitations. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

WHEN: Saturday, March 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Berkner Hall, Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Lab is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

DETAILS: Over 225 high school students from 15 schools in Suffolk County have entered the 2005 Model Bridge Contest. (Below is a list of participating schools.) The students designed and constructed model bridges according to certain size and weight specifications, with the goal of building the lightest bridge that supports the most weight. Materials were restricted to basswood and glue.

Brookhaven engineers will test the bridges by determining how long they remain intact under the pressure of a machine called a stress tester. The bridges are required to be no longer than 400 millimeters, no taller than 250 millimeters, and they must weigh 25 grams or less. Some are very intricate and attractive. The contrast between the delicate basswood bridges and the equipment used to test them provides excellent visuals.

The first- and second-prize winners will be eligible to enter the 2005 International Bridge Building Contest, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, on April 23.