A four-session course was held for twelve
students from a gifted-and-talented class
at Meeker Elementary School in Greeley,
Colorado. The children are in third through
fifth grades. Tom Caldwell, vice president
of HBG Constructors, visited the class for
a couple of days to share his extensive
knowledge and expertise in bridge construction.
The first session was an introduction to
different types of bridges and basic engineering
principles. Students then designed and built
their bridges in the second and third classes.
Each two-person team was given eighteen
feet of 1/8" square balsa wood and
white glue with which to construct their
bridge.
For the last session, the students went
to Ames Community College to have their
structures tested to failure. The strongest
bridge was able to carry a load of sixty-eight
pounds.
| The somewhat more
mature-looking male student in the back
row is actually our own Tom Caldwell,
a vice-president of HBG Constructors.
|
Students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School
students in Vallejo, California create a
special web
page dedicated to HBG Constructors'
Carquinez Bridge project.
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|
