Midwest On the Scene: 2025 Student Steel Bridge Competition
Forty-three teams from colleges and universities from across the country put their bridgebuilding skills to the test at the 2025 Student Steel Bridge Competition hosted by the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The contest, held May 30 to 31 at Iowa State University in Ames, was the culmination of 20 regional contests that challenged students to extend their classroom knowledge to a practical and hands-on steel-design project.
The competition calls for students to develop a concept for a scale model steel bridge to span approximately 20 ft and to carry 2,500 lb. The teams determine how to fabricate their bridges and then plan for efficient assembly under timed construction conditions. Bridges are also load-tested, weighed and judged on aesthetics.
Photo courtesy of the American Institute of Steel Construction
A hypothetical scenario was created for the competition that required teams to design and build a river bridge to connect with walking trails in a park, with particular emphasis on protecting the local flora and fauna. The teams had to deal with challenges including allowing only barges on the river during construction at added cost.
For the fifth year in a row, the team from University of Florida took home the top spot.
“The ASCE/AISC Student Steel Bridge competition is a fantastic experiential learning opportunity for the students,” says Taylor Rawlinson, the team’s adviser. “They get to see an entire project through the design, fabrication and construction phases and must carefully consider how these elements are interconnected.”
Photo courtesy of the American Institute of Steel Construction
The contest also helps the students learn to collaborate under pressure, resolve conflicts, communicate effectively and develop interpersonal skills through teamwork. Rawlinson credits his team’s winning performance with having motivated and capable students eager to apply classroom knowledge to the real world, a strong alumni base and an emphasis on knowledge retention, documentation and active recruitment of new team members and departmental support, including access to student shop facilities and dedicated time with him to mentor them on technical, practical and project management aspects of the competition.
In addition to winning overall and earning $8,000 in scholarships, the Florida team placed in five categories, including first in stiffness and efficiency, second in lightness and economy and third for cost estimate. The team had an assembly time of 9 minutes and 37 seconds.
Photo courtesy of the American Institute of Steel Construction
“Assembly is 100% my favorite part of the competition,” says Florida senior Damian Blanco. “A lot of us grew up playing sports, and being able to combine a small bit of athletics with engineering and competition is a great aspect of the competition.”
Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., came in second overall and won $6,000 in scholarships; Virginia Tech took third and earned $4,000 in scholarships.
