Sen. Crowell Sponsors MoDOT's Bridge Competition

JEFFERSON CITY -- For the fourth consecutive year, Senator Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, sponsored the top prizes for Missouri Department of Transportation Southeast District's seventh-annual bridge building competition.

"This competition is a great way to spark student interests in civil engineering" said Sen. Crowell. "The experience encourages students to call upon their creativity and mathematical knowledge to craft a bridge that will withstand the toughest of tests."

Students from across Southeast Missouri participated after having received a bridge building kit containing 20 pieces of balsa wood, a spool of thread, and a bottle of glue from MoDOT. These materials were used to try to create the lightest bridge that was able to carry the greatest load.

After testing nearly 250 bridges, Sen. Crowell provided a $500 check for first place, awarded to Ste. Genevieve High School's teacher Anthony Eubanks; a $300 check for second place awarded to Oak Ridge High School's teacher Mark Gihring; and a $200 check for third place prize, awarded to Chaffee High School's teacher Jaron McMurry.

"I applaud these teachers for finding creative and interesting ways to keep their students engaged, which is why I chose to sponsor these awards," said Sen. Crowell. "It is an honor to continue to support these schools' efforts to enrich their students' learning, and I am pleased that there are so many students in Southeast Missouri able to take advantage of all of the benefits of programs like this one."

Medals were also given to the top three students, from the top three high schools. Ste. Genevieve High School's top scoring students included Aaron Roth, Greg Thomas, and Michael Dickens. Oak Ridge High School's top three students were Dakota Oehl, Brandon Rhyne, and Ethan Siemer. And Chaffee's top three included Michael Schmitt, Brittany Brewer, and Tyler Musgrave. Other awards included the "most aesthetic" bridge, given to Joshua Tilmon of Delta C-7; and the computer-based electronic bridge award given to Skyler Simpson of Chaffee.

MoDOT partnered with Arkansas State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Southern Illinois University of Carbondale to offer seniors interested in civil engineering up to nearly $10,000 worth of civil engineering scholarships.

"A world class education takes more than classroom lectures," said Sen. Crowell. "Our students can enjoy opportunities such as MoDOT's bridge building competition that allow them to explore more hands-on forms of learning that enhance their understanding of basic subjects such as math and science."