| KACC students win Bridge Bust |
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Kokomo Area Career Center students, left-right, Brock Basil and Andrew Plough show off their winning bridge.
During the past school year, Kokomo Area Career Center students Andrew Plough and Brock Basil were the winning team in the annual two-state Bridge Bust competition. Students from 18 high schools in Indiana and Illinois were invited by the Purdue University Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers to build bridges of strength in order to destroy them under tests of weight. Each team was provided with 20 balsa wood sticks and a bottle of glue with instructions to build a bridge that was sturdy, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing. Each bridge was a minimum of 26 inches long, a maximum of 6 inches high, and had passage for a 2 x 4 board. After each bridge was constructed, the strength was tested by hanging a bucket beneath the structure and weight was added until the bridge broke. The winning bridge created by Plough and Basil withstood 42.33 pounds. Another KACC team captured 3rd in the Bridge Bust competition, which is designed to give high school students hands-on experience while they learn about science and engineering. |
