SPSU Civil Engineering Technology Department

SPSU finishes 14th among 50 in national Steel Bridge Competition

JUNE 3, 2014 – SPSU’s Steel Bridge Team finished 14th out of 50 finalists in the National Student Steel Bridge Competition at the University of Akron (Ohio) on May 23-24, ahead of Clemson (S.C.) University, Texas A&M, and the Colorado School of Mines, to name a few.

Ironically, the institution that edged SPSU out of 13th place was the State University of New York Canton, where SPSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Zvi Szafran will start his presidency in July.

Advised by Prof. Mike Orlandella, associate professor emeritus in the Civil Engineering Technology (CET) Department, the SPSU team ranked 9th in construction speed, 10th in efficiency, 12th in the lightness of their bridge, 22nd in stiffness 28th in economy and 38th in display.

Team members included CET majors T.J. Byrd, Bobby Englehart, Sebastian Hernandez, Steven Marbury and Curtis D. McCoy III, and civil engineering majors Daniel Silvestri and John Trane. The national competition is jointly organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

Congratulations to Prof. Orlandella and the students and faculty involved with the SPSU team!