Like little children with a toy chest, Engineering students dug into buckets of Legos yesterday in North Campus's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building.
As part of National Engineers Week, the students were determined to construct bridges with the Legos - bridges that wouldn't break under pressure.
A two-person team - Engineering seniors Brahm Windeler and Seung-Won Hwang - placed first in the contest. Their bridge, built in 4 minutes, spanned 16 inches and withstood 29 pounds before breaking.
"It was fun," said Engineering sophomore Chip Janson, who spontaneously joined the contest after passing by.
Amber Thweatt, a member of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, the group that organized the event, became concerned when several of the initial bridges would not break when weight was applied.
"I completely underestimated the ability of (University) engineers when I brought my one pound weight," said Thweatt, an Engineering senior.
A formula comprised of a bridge's length, the total applied weight and the time required to build the bridge determined the bridge's rating.
After Engineering sophomore Mike Kirby, the first person to build a bridge, finished his 10-inch-long bridge, it would not break. Coordinators then decided the minimum length of each bridge would have to be 15 inches in order for the weight to have more of an effect.
"The engineers were smarter than we thought," Thweatt said.
Yesterday's contest was one of several organized at the University in recognition of National Engineers Week. An egg drop competition will be held in the EECS atrium today at 2:30 p.m.
National Engineers Week - founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers - is celebrating its first year at the University.
"The engineers were smarter than we thought," Thweatt said.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Engineering senior Jon Ho competes in a Lego bridge-building contest as part of National Engineers Week. The competition was held in the EECS building yesterday.