A Riverhead High School/STEM school student took sixth place in the annual Brookhaven National Lab bridge building contest held last month. Approximately 230 Long Island-based high school students participated in this event, which was held on March 25.
To construct their models, students applied principles of physics and engineering, which also gave them a taste of what it is to be an engineer. Brayan Miguel, a Riverhead High School and STEM High School student designed a bridge that was found to be able to support 762 times its own weight. The STEM High School is part of the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology, a program of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
Miguel designed a truss-style bridge. A truss is a structural frame made from triangles and is used in one of the oldest types of modern bridges. He researched designs, completed assignments, and employed structural analysis software to uncover how loads would be distributed throughout his work, helping to determine where and how he needed to reinforce his bridge. He then used a specially designed machine to further test the structural integrity of his idea.
“This undertaking required quite a commitment in terms of exploration, scrutiny, and reasoning,” said Ed Moloney, an engineering teacher at the academy.
Source: Press release issued by Eastern Suffolk BOCES dated April 13, 2017.
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