| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Nov 07) |
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ODOT teaches Siletz Valley School students bridge-building
Most of us like to try something out before committing to it, like test-driving a car we’re thinking of buying. For students at the Siletz Valley School in Siletz, Ore., who will soon be choosing careers, ODOT provided an opportunity to test-drive a career in engineering and bridge-building.
Before hosting an evening open house at the Toledo High School library in September, ODOT and its consultants on the Bundle 409, U.S. 20: Beaver Creek to Mary’s River project met with students at the Siletz Valley School. As part of an innovative public involvement campaign for the state bridge program, the project team provided more than 125 middle school and high school students with hands-on demonstrations of the basics of bridge design, surveying and principles of bridge construction and economics.
During the bridge design portion, engineers from OBEC Consulting Engineers explained the basic bridge types that are being repaired and replaced in the bridge program, using nearby bridges as examples. Visual aids, such as a video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, served as demonstrations of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each bridge type.
The engineers blended vocabulary, math and science during the surveying demonstration. Students used a theodolite, a telescope-like instrument mounted on a tripod, to triangulate the distance between themselves and nearby mile posts. The demonstration was popular with the students, and the presentation by the engineers inspired many of them to say they’d like to pursue a career in engineering and engineering-related fields.
Finally, the project team used wooden and steel beams to demonstrate the strength differences between the materials and the economics of bridge building. After students walked on the beams, they were encouraged to note the differences in how the beams felt underfoot. Most students noted the small creaks and flexibility of the wooden beams versus the silent solidity of the steel. The engineers then taught the students more about the beam differences from an economic standpoint: Steel is stronger than wood but significantly more expensive.
“It was great! The ODOT team knew how to handle high school students, the information was age appropriate and hands-on, and switching groups kept students interested,” said Jesica Haxel, Siletz Valley School science teacher. “We need more sessions like these.”
The opportunity for the students to “kick the tires” on a potential career in construction or engineering—and to meet some of the people responsible for the design and construction of bridges they use every day—will undoubtedly be an experience the students remember well into the future.
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