On 30 January, we welcomed 50 students to take part in a Bridge Building competition with MJA Consulting. Students had to work in teams to design and build the lightest, strongest bridge they could using only A4 paper, sticky tape and string. The bridge needed to span 1m across 2 desks. Representatives from MJA Consulting worked with students to explain the key aspects of bridge design, along with the importance of aesthetics and cost. Each group then had 30 minutes to plan their bridge, were given feedback on their design and then had 40 minutes to construct it. This was an excellent opportunity for students to use their problem solving and creativity skills whilst having to collaborate together and work as a team. Each of the final designs was quite unique and the winning bridge was able to withstand more than 10kg of weight. The day successfully introduced Year 9 students to Civil Engineering as a possible career and provided them with practical advice on the varying qualifications needed in order to access it.
