High schools compete this week for mini bridge title

Teams of high school students from throughout the region will design and construct wood bridges at the annual Mahoning Valley Miniature Bridge Building Competition Monday, Feb. 25, at Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center.

The competition, now in its 12th year, begins at 8:30 a.m. with an awards ceremony set for 2 p.m.

The event involves the design and construction of a balsa wood bridge followed by load testing until failure. The winning bridge will be chosen based on meeting the design criteria and the most efficient load carrying capacity to structure weight ratio.

The competition began in 2008 with the Mahoning County and Trumbull County engineers working in concert with YSU. The goal is to promote civil engineering as a career choice while providing students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a real-world application.

For more information, visit www.mvmbbc.org.