image: NJIT's team took first place at the 2008 Metropolitan Regional Steel-Bridge Competition. view more
Credit: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Much whooping and cheers could be heard for miles along the New Jersey waterfront as a team of NJIT civil engineering students ascended to the throne for the third consecutive year as top civil engineering students in the New York Metropolitan Region.
These 14 NJIT engineering students, all from New Jersey, took a first place overall win in the 2008 Metropolitan Regional Steel-Bridge Competition. The event was held this past weekend at Stevens Institute of Technology.
“I'm so proud of our team,” said team co-captain Indira Hernandez, Elizabeth. “Each member contributed to this victory. Team effort, dedication and hard work definitely paid off.”
“Nishant Shah, Parsippany, the other co-captain, looks forward to the upcoming national competition set for Memorial Day at the University of Florida, Gainesville. “Our strategy is to optimize construction time with the least amount of builders while reducing the overall weight.”
The NJIT students competed against engineering teams from City College of New York, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Cooper Union, Rutgers University, the College of New Jersey and Stevens. The NJIT team included Giancarlo Fricano, Bridgewater; Shafali Patel, Jersey City; Hertzler Awuy, Edison. Other members were: Tien Tran, Belleville; Arthur Aquino, Jersey City; Kaeside Iwuagwu, Englewood; Eric Wilson, Sparta; Tiago Rodrigues, Woodbridge. Yet more were: David Lam, Northfield. Hai Pham, Jersey City; Joseph Juzwin, Mt. Arlington; Alberto Rodriguez, West Orange.
“I have found this competition to be a marvelous teaching tool because students learn valuable professional skills in a hands-on, do-it-yourself environment,” said John Schuring. Schuring, a civil engineering professor at NJIT, is one of the team’s advisors. “The event teaches how to work in a group environment, helping students learn the skills of leadership, problem solving, and time management. Event sponsors are the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Institute of Steel Construction.” Team technical advisors included Frank Johansson, a laboratory supervisor, and Alan Slaughter, an adjunct professor.
Each student team must design and build a reduced-scale bridge that is capable of carrying a 2,500 lb load. The ideal bridge must be lightweight, yet exhibit a strong structure that can be quickly assembled by the least number of people. The process includes first designing and testing ideas, followed by fabricating parts in an NJIT lab. The last step is to build the design with other contestants at annual competitions. This year the NJIT team also worked with a corporate sponsor, Schiavone Constructors and Engineers of Secaucus, NJ.
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, at the edge in knowledge, enrolls more than 8,000 students in bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 92 degree programs offered by six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. NJIT is renowned for expertise in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. In 2006, Princeton Review named NJIT among the nation’s top 25 campuses for technology and top 150 for best value. U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 Annual Guide to America’s Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities.
(ATTENTION EDITORS: This is a strong and highly visible story with the bonus of reporters learning more about how infra-structure works during a critical time when the nation’s bridges remain under serious scrutiny. Interview and photograph Indira, Nishant or any of their future bridge builders. Sit in on sessions as these undergrads design a winning strategy. Call Sheryl Weinstein, 973-596-3436, for times, dates, etc.)