The Bridge Building Challenge sets teams against the clock, as they only have 3 hours to build a bridge out of provided materials (e.g., popsicle sticks, wooden dowels, masking tape, glue, string, and poster board). Typically, more than 200 students participate from across the state each year.

Throughout the competition, students have the opportunity to interact with engineering professionals from the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and Iowa State University’s (Iowa State’s) Institute for Transportation (InTrans) to learn more about bridges and other transportation-related topics. The event introduces students to the complex world of engineering while also teaching them valuable skills—like teamwork—that will support them in their future careers.

This annual event is sponsored by the Iowa DOT and supported by ISU 4U Promise, which helps prepare students for college who come from communities with historically lower attendance or academic success in higher education.

Program Description

The event is typically held over two days in the fall, at the Science Center of Iowa, located in downtown Des Moines. The timeline each day is typically as follows:

• 9:00-9:30 am — Check-In / Setup
• 9:30-9:45 am — Opening
• 9:45 am-12:00 pm — Bridge Building
• 12:00-12:45 pm — Lunch* & Explore SCI
• 12:45-2:00 pm — Load Testing & Judging
• 2:00-2:30 pm — Explore SCI (Judges Deliberation)
• 2:30 pm — Awards for all categories

*Boxed lunches are provided, or sack lunches can be brought if preferred. Each participant will also receive one bottle of water and snack during the bridge-building time.

Application Form