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Bridge builders show skills
Students win first, third places for engineering designs in Yellowknife

April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, April 21, 2016

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Four young aspiring engineers tested their mettle against competitors across the Northwest Territories in March to come out on top as the best bridge builders in their category.

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Bridge builders hold up their certificates. Danielle Hansen, left, partnered with JC Larter, while Patrick Tate partnered with his brother Lucas for the competition. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

Grade 7 students Patrick Tate, Lucas Tate, Danielle Hansen and JC Larter all received their winning certificates on April 15 as well as cash prizes for placing first and third in the Grade 6 to 8 category.

The competition, held by the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists on March 5, threw Fort Simpson's Thomas Simpson Secondary School into months of popsicle-laying in preparation for the big event.

The Tate brothers teamed up on a lightweight arch bridge that ended up winning first place, even after judges deducted some points for having to remove a strut in order to properly secure the machine they used to break the bridges.

"We both came up with some ideas and then kind of combined them. As we went along, we kept building on those ideas and brought in more (ways) to add strength," said Patrick after receiving his award on April 15.

One of the tricks they learned as they built was to utilize triangular shapes as well as put beams across the top of the bridge.

"Triangles are a strong shape because they have points of balance," Lucas explained.

Larter and Hansen worked on their bridge together as well. The duo had to refine their design after realizing the one they wanted to build would exceed guidelines setting out maximum height and width for bridges.

"At first, it was supposed to be a triangle bridge on top and an arch bridge on bottom," said Larter.

Once they realized there was a limited height, the partners modified their design so its arches and support beams all ran underneath the bridge.

"I think it made it stronger," Hansen said.

One of the challenges they ran into during the building phase was keeping the bridge together. They used clippers to hold the popsicle sticks together but that didn't stop pieces from falling apart every time they had to turn it upside down to work on the support.

"Building bridges isn't as easy as it seems," Hansen said.

She added she would like to try her hand at different engineering designs in the future, perhaps using straws or a medium other than popsicle sticks.

The breaking of the bridges took place at the Centre Square Mall in Yellowknife. Instructor Steve Nicoll said he mailed off the best of his class's bridges for the event.

Bridges were scored on several factors, including aesthetics and adherence to engineering principles.

"Structures are part of our Junior High science curriculum so (students) were required to do it. We always do this as a practical way to apply the theory we learn in the classroom," Nicoll explained.

"Everyone brings their own level of motivation to it, so everyone built bridges but not everyone finished them. We sent the best and (broke) the rest here."

The Tate brothers won $400 for their first-place bridge while Larter and Hansen won $100 for theirs.

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