Vying to build the best bridge to nowhere, engineering students from across the U.S. and Canada on Saturday joined trusses to struts and abutments to beams, creating sturdy 20-foot spans as they raced against the clock in the finals of the National Student Steel Bridge Competition at Cal State Northridge.
The 16th annual contest drew teams from 43 schools that had drilled and pounded their way through regional contests to reach the finals, held for the first time at the campus’ main athletics building, Redwood Hall.
The UW-Madison team came in third.