It's time to start designing and building bridges for the 14th annual popsicle stick bridge contest to be held at Pine Centre Mall in Prince George.
The contest is March 5 at 11 a.m. in the mall centre court where organizers expect more then 50 bridges to be entered for strength testing.
Ben Crimp, organizer, said the aim of the contest is to build the strongest bridge possible with 100 popsicle sticks and standard white glue.
"The bridge must span a 500 mm gap and should be long enough to have a bearing area beyond 500 mm at both ends. The bridge must have a deck of construction paper capable of supporting a Hot Wheels-type car that can roll across the deck," said Crimp.
Three categories offered by sponsors, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C., are primary for Kindergarten to Grade 3, Intermediate for Grades 4 to 7 and secondary for Grades 8 to 12, professional and open adult.
Contestants receive 200 popsicle sticks and a sheet of construction paper in a kit containing the contest rules. Kits can be picked up Feb. 19 at a registration booth at Pine Centre.
To date the heaviest load borne by a bridge is 760 pounds and the hope is to break that record this year, said Crimp.
People build their bridges at home and bring them to the contest sponsored and organized by APEG, Central Interior Branch, said Crimp who's happy to be involved since the contest encourages builders of all ages to think, be creative and come up real solutions through trial and error.
Registration for all categories from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. is followed by opening ceremonies at 12:15 p.m.
Bridge testing begins with the youngest and proceeds to the older contestants. Bridges are tested by weighing them before and after they are loaded with weights. All bridges will be destroyed during testing. There are cash prizes for winners in each category
The contest is a feature of Engineering Week to promote engineering and parent-team participation. Packages can be picked up at the museum until Friday.
Crimp can be contacted at 250-562-7050 or e-mail:[email protected]
