The SIUC Steel Bridge Team is a Registered Student Organization that allows students to apply technical knowledge learned in the classroom to a real-world engineering project. Steel Bridge Team drives students to develop their leadership, communication, team building, and networking skills which are rarely touched on in the classroom. Every August, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) releases a new set of rules for collegiate Steel Bridge Teams across the country to design a 20-foot steel bridge that can support 2,500 lbs for Regional Competitions in April. When we receive the rules and specifications, we work on our bridge design to comply with those rules. After the design is completed, we order steel to start fabricating our bridge.
The design and fabrication phases require a large amount of time and dedication by Steel Bridge Team members. In April, we will travel to the University of Missouri Columbia to compete against other universities in the region, where we are scored based on structural efficiency (bridge weight and deflection) and construction economy (build time and number of builders). The top 2 teams in our regional qualify for the National Competition.
SIUC's Steel Bridge Team placed 1st in 2016 and 2nd in 2018 at Regionals, qualifying for Nationals 2 of the last 3 years after not qualifying for Nationals the 10 years prior to 2016. We are off to a great start this year, but need your help to compete at the highest level! Steel is costly, and registration, transportation, and lodging for the journey to both regional and national competitions can be quite expensive as well.
If your donation falls under the category of any of the sponsorship levels listed above, you will receive the gifts that correspond to that sponsorship level. We rely on the generosity of donors to continue our success, and thank you for your consideration
A twenty-five dollar donation will help us cover the costs of printing out the informational display board for the bridge.
With a donation of fifty dollars, you can help contribute to the cost of nuts and bolts needed for the competition.
For one hundred dollars, we can buy power tools needed to achieve a fast build time at competition.
With a two hundred and fifty dollar donation, you can help us cover the cost of fuel needed to drive the team to our regional competition.
By donating five hundred dollars, you can help us buy steel needed to fabricate the bridge and help cover registration fees for competition