Timber Bridge team places fourth at national competition
July 16, 2014
From L-R: Rubin Shmulsky. Kelvin Banks, Jonathan Green, Wilson Crockett, Zhuo “Bonnie” Yang, Tyler Catchot, Sustin Cushman, Curtis Presley, Ross Caver; not pictured Robert White and Seamus Freyne
STARKVILLE, Miss. — A team of students from the Bagley College of Engineering and the College of Forest Resources brought home top honors in three categories at a recent bridge-building competition.
MSU’s Timber Bridge team clinched fourth place for Overall Best Bridge in the 2014 National Timber Bridge Competition.
Designed by a team of senior civil engineering and forestry majors, Mississippi State’s entry earned first place awards in the Best Deck Design, Net Deck Deflection and Maximized Wood Use categories. Third place recognition in the Best Support Structure and Total Bridge Weight categories added to the team’s accolades.
Since it incorporates the use of timber and engineering skills, the annual contest is open to student members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Forest Products Society, encouraging the two organizations to cooperate on a single entry.
To enter the online contest, team entries consist of a design report and are submitted with photo and video documentation of the building process. The packet is then submitted to a panel of judges for review.
Mississippi State’s team is advised by Seamus Freyne, an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, and Rubin Shnulsky, head of the department of sustainable bioproducts. MSU team members include (by hometown):
LAUREL, Miss. – Ross Caver, civil engineering
MADISON, Miss. – Civil engineering majors Kelvin Banks, Wilson Crockett and Robert White
OXFORD, Miss. – Curtis Presley, civil engineering
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Civil engineering majors Tyler Catchot, team captain; Dustin Cushman; Jonathan Greene; and forest products major Zhuo “Bonnie” Yang
The contest is designed to explore the capabilities of engineering with wood, specifically as a bridge construction material, while remaining innovative and cost effective.
The National Timber Bridge Design Competition was created in 1993 and adapted into an online contest in 1998. The National Timber Bridge Design Competition is coordinated by Southwest Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development Inc.
To learn more about the 2014 National Timber Bridge Competition, visit www.southwest.msrcd.org/timberbridge.
For more information on the BCoE, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By: Amanda Meeler