Grade 4 to 7 students beat the engineering professionals at their own game last year by making a superior bridge tested by the load to weight ratio.
It's all about how the students cleverly put up to 100 popsicle sticks together with white glue that got them the win.
During last year's Popsicle Stick Bridge Contest and GeoRocks event that saw 106 participants, the Grade 4 to 7s load-to-weight ratio topped out at 652 pounds while the engineers, who claim their project didn't have time to set, held a mere 217 pounds.
So eight-year-olds are beating the engineers.
"Oh yeah, just about every year running the kids beat the pros," said Lee Peltz, vice chair of the Central Interior Branch of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC).
This is the 20th annual event in Prince George, one of the longest running events like it in the province, that is hosted by APEGBC and Peltz said he wants it to be the biggest year ever.
Crusher day is April 1 at Pine Centre Mall and those interested in participating can pick up kits at the mall this Saturday or use arts and crafts popsicle sticks and white glue to create a mega bridge.
Don't forget to consider making it pretty, too, as there are trophies for that now.
There are five categories for all ages to participate. Three are for school-age children including Grades 1 to 3, Grades 4 to 7, and Grades 8 to 12. There is a category for professional engineers and one for adults that are not professional engineers.
Up for grabs for those bridges that can hold the most weight is some cold, hard cash with first prize set at $150, second prize is $100 and third prize is $50 in each category.
"So it's how much weight the bridge can carry divided by how heavy the bridge is," said Peltz . "So it is possible for a lighter bridge that can't hold as much to win over a heavier bridge."
There's also the aesthetics prize.
"And hopefully this year I'll remember to award the aesthetics prize before the bridges get crushed," Peltz laughed. "Two years running now I forgot to award the aesthetics prize first."
The event is to honour National Engineering and GeoScience Month to promote the professions of engineering and geoscience. Usually the event is held in March but because spring break is so late this year they pushed it to April 1, giving the students time during the break to create their monster bridge masterpieces.
"It's all about the big stuff like structural engineering, building roads and the outside stuff," said Peltz. "And that's the type of stuff we tend to focus on here but we also have geoscience and at the event we'll have some information about how they conduct investigations to find natural resources, underground water sources and all sorts of other things."
Registration is at 11 a.m. on April 1 at the mall, entry fee is a non-perishable food item and the fun starts at noon. So no one will miss the action there will be a close-up view on a big screen.
For more information email [email protected] or visit www.apeg.bc.ca/ci for rules and regulations.
