Ellerbe Becket believes in educating the public, especially its youth, about the range of occupations available in the world of architecture. One of these fields is civil engineering, in which engineers design different types of structures using mathematics and the laws of physics. They determine the size and length the pieces that hold up structures must be and what they will be made out of. One of the oldest and probably the most notable structures of civil engineering design is the bridge.

At the 2002 Minnesota State Fair, Ellerbe Becket helped educate students about how and why bridges do not fall down when cars, trains or people are transported across them. Many students were curious about how strong and safe a bridge must be. Ellerbe Becket engineers were on hand to answer their questions.

Students were given first-hand experience in designing bridges using a computer software program. The computer program, West Point Bridge Designer 2003, was created at one of the oldest civil engineering colleges in the country: West Point Academy. The software program has been recognized nationally for its ability to help students understand how bridges are designed.

West Point Academy is sponsoring the West Point Bridge Design Competition which involves the use of the software. This nation-wide competition is specifically aimed at promoting math, science, and technology education in U.S. middle and secondary schools. To find out more about this competition go to: http://bridgecontest.usma.edu.

Click here for more information on Ellerbe Becket's engineering expertise.