Volunteers will collect donations in the Herman Union Building cafeteria entrance, weekdays, 11-2 p.m., through Friday, February 9. About 60 schools are expected to participate and 160 to 170 bridges will be crushed during the contest. Building and breaking bridges teaches important concepts about physics and engineering. This contest is also often the first time kids are introduced to engineering as a possible career choice. Bridges can weigh no more than 30 grams - about the weight of a small apple.
Students build the bridges from basswood, a very lightweight wood.
The lightest bridge that can hold 50 kilograms of weight wins. The winners of the Chicago Regional Contest go on to compete in the national contest which will also be held on IIT's campus on April 28th. The event will be held at the Chicago Historical Society, located at Clark Street and North Avenue. It is free and open to the public. The web site allows departments to post positions electronically, as students search and apply for those positions online.