Bronx students from Archimedes Academy for Math, Science and Technology Applications joined engineers from Engineering Tomorrow on Wednesday to learn about bridge construction, connection and engineering.

The lab began with a virtual presentation—viewed by 6,000 students from across the country—including 40 students from Archimedes Academy. The presentation taught students about the importance of bridge building and engineers’ role in the design, construction and testing of large scale infrastructure projects. They learned about different types of bridge designs and the specific uses and conditions where they might be appropriate.

Then the students from the White Plains Road-based school got to build and test their own bridge designs made of popsicle sticks, dowel rods and hot glue, keeping in mind the engineering principles of stress and strain. 

Students were challenged to build the strongest bridge possible for the lowest cost. All the materials, which were provided to all participating schools through Engineering Tomorrow, had a “cost” associated with them. Then students designed, built and tested the strength of their bridges, simulating the process that real engineers use when building a project for a client.

The lab was hosted in connection with Engineering Tomorrow, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase the number of students pursuing the field of engineering, especially from historically underserved backgrounds. Engineering Tomorrow engaged more than a half million students through its programming in the 2023-2024 school year, according to its latest impact report.

Gerry Dawes, a staff engineer with Engineering Tomorrow and former Director of the Business Ethics and Compliance Department (BEC) at Con Edison Company of New York, joined the students at Archimedes Academy for the lab.

“I hope today’s lab, which gave students an in-depth view into the engineering design process, bridge construction, and the social impact of bridges and infrastructure, encourages students to consider this exciting career field,” Dawes said.

This story originally appeared in The Bronx Times.