Student Steel Bridge Competition

The American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition is an annual contest where teams of university students from American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapters studying the field of structural engineering where the students design and fabricate a bridge. The bridges must follow the specifications worded out in the rule book. Once the bridges are fabricated, students will go and build assemble the bridge at a competition.

History

The competition began as a miniature bridge design competition using balsa wood to see which competitor's bridge is the best. Robert E. Shaw Jr., Associate Director of Education for the American Institute of Steel Construction, initiated the steel bridge competition in the spring of 1987 and was honored by the AISC in 2000.
The first teams to compete were Lawrence Technological University, Wayne State University, and Michigan Technological University. In 1988, the competition grew to four regional conference competitions: North Central at the University of Detroit, Great Lakes at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Carolinas at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Ohio Valley at the University of Louisville. In 1992, Fromy Rosenberg, who was the Director of AISC College Relations, began the first National Student Steel Bridge Competition.

Past champions

The following are past champions.

Year	Host	Champion	Runner up
1992	Michigan State University	Michigan State University	Unknown
1993	Southern Polytechnic State University	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Unknown
1994	San Diego State University	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Unknown
1995	University of Florida	North Dakota State University	Unknown
1996	SUNY Buffalo	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Unknown
1997	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	University of Florida	Unknown
1998	Colorado State University	University of Southwestern Louisiana	Unknown
1999	University of Alaska Anchorage	University of Nevada, Reno	Unknown
2000	Texas A&M University	California State University, Chico	Unknown
2001	Clemson University	Clemson University	Unknown
2002	University of Wisconsin, Madison	North Dakota State University	Unknown
2003	San Diego State University	University of Michigan	University of Wisconsin-Madison
2004	Colorado School of Mines	North Dakota State University	University of Michigan
2005	University of Central Florida	University of California, Davis	University of Florida
2006	University of Utah	North Dakota State University	SUNY Canton
2007	California State University, Northridge	North Dakota State University	University of California, Davis
2008	University of Florida	University of California, Berkeley	University of Florida
2009	University of Nevada Las Vegas	SUNY Canton	North Dakota State University
2010	Purdue University	North Dakota State University	University of California, Berkeley
2011	Texas A&M University	Lakehead University	Michigan Technological University
2012	Clemson University	University of California, Berkeley	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2013	University of Washington	University of California, Berkeley	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2014	University of Akron	University of California, Davis	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2015	University of Missouri, Kansas City	University of Florida	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2016	Brigham Young University	École de Technologie Supérieure	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2017	Oregon State University	École de Technologie Supérieure	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2018	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Lafayette College	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2019	Southern Illinois University Carbondale	Lafayette College	University of Florida
2020	Canceled due to COVID-19
2021	Canceled due to COVID-19	University of Florida	Lafayette College
2022	Virginia Tech	University of Florida	University of Alaska, Fairbanks
2023	University of California, San Diego	University of Florida	Youngstown State University
2024	Louisiana Tech	University of Florida	SUNY Buffalo
2025	Iowa State University	University of Florida	Lafayette College

Scoring

The different criteria in the competition that will be judged are:

Construction Time
Number of Builders
Total Weight
Aggregate Deflection
Lateral Deflection

These different criteria go into two different formulas to calculate the construction cost and economy cost. There are also penalties that can cause the construction time or weight to increase.
The overall winner has the lowest sum from the construction economy and structural efficiency categories.

Regional advancement

Getting to the National Competition—teams compete at regional conferences around the United States. The top teams from each region are invited to compete at the National Competition each year.

In a region of 2–6 teams, the top competitor advances to nationals.
In a region of 7–12 teams, the top two competitors advance to nationals.
In a region of 13–18 teams, the top three competitors advance to nationals.
In a region with 19 or more teams, the top four competitors advance to nationals.

Awards

AISC provides award plaques for the top teams at Student Steel Bridge regional Competitions. The top teams at each of the 20 SSBC regional competitions are recognized in seven categories along with the overall winning teams. Top teams at the Student Steel Bridge Competition Finals are recognized with award plaques in eight categories along with the overall winning teams and special award winners.
The categories where students can receive these awards are in:

Construction Speed
Lightness
Aesthetics
Stiffness
Cost Estimate
Economy
Efficiency
Overall

The overall winners of the national competition also receive other rewards in addition to there award plaques. The details of these rewards are detailed in the table below.

Award name	Eligibility	Prize
John M. Parucki National Champion	This award celebrates the first-place team of the National Competition	$8,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
Second Place Overall	This award celebrates the second-place team of the National Competition	$6,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
Third Place Overall	This award celebrates the third-place team of the National Competition	$4,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.

Special Awards

In addition to the standard award plaques, eligible participating teams may also win special awards that recognize extraordinary achievements. These awards do not factor into the category scores or overall performance rating of a bridge. The following are the special awards currently offered by AISC.

Award name	Eligibility	Description	Prize
SSBC Team Engagement Award	All teams that compete at a Regional Competition are eligible for this award; participation is not mandatory and will have no effect on scoring and other facets of the competition.	This award recognizes teams that foster equity, diversity, and inclusion. It celebrates formidable teams of smart people who draw from a broad array of backgrounds and experiences.	A team invitation to the National Finals. $2,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
Robert E. Shaw, jr. Spirit of the Competition Award	All teams that compete at the SSBC National Finals are eligible for this award.	The Robert E. Shaw Jr. Spirit of the Competition Award is presented to a team that demonstrates outstanding team camaraderie, professionalism, positive work ethic, and respect for their competition peers.	$2,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
Frank J. Hatfield Ingenuity Award	All teams that compete at the SSBC National Finals are eligible for this award.	The Frank J. Hatfield Ingenuity Award is presented to a team that shows the most engineering ingenuity in the design and/or construction of their bridge based on the requirements of the competition rules.	$2,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
John M. Yadlosky Most Improved Team Award	Eligible teams must have participated in an SSBC regional competition for the past three years. As part of the application, teams will also describe their challenges and how they would plan to use the award funds.	While some teams have access to abundant resources and can learn from a history of success, others may start with very little. The most determined teams will overcome these challenges and take their team's performance to the next level to set a foundation for future success. We’re looking for demonstrated year-over-year improvement of your team's performance and how your team will seek to improve in the future.	One representative from the winning team will be invited to attend the upcoming National Finals and will receive travel reimbursement for their hotel and airfare. $2,000 AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Scholarship to a student or students of the team's choosing.
Video Award	Teams may compete in the optional video award category provided their bridge is presented for aesthetics judging and staged for timed construction at a regional competition.	This optional award category is based on a 6-minute-maximum recording that conveys the features of the bridge, such as incorporating salvaged materials, structural optimization to reduce material, and design for reuse.	The winning video is shown at the National Competition Banquet.