UC Davis Earns 9th Place Overall at 2006 National Student Steel Bridge Competition


Hosted by the University of Utah, the 2006 NSSBC was held over Memorial Day Weekend in Salt Lake City. The Aggies were the defending national champs going in, but this year the competition at Salt Lake was certainly stiff. At the competition, UC Davis finished 12 th for Lightness, 9 th for Stiffness, 8 th for Efficiency, 12 th for Speed, 10 th for Economy and 8 th for Aesthetics, giving them 9 th Place OVERALL.

Elizabeth Rider, graduating senior, and second year Captain, reflected on the year, “This year's team members have done an amazing job.  After last year's National Championship, the 2005-2006 team had some enormous, if not, impossible shoes to fill.  The entire team made it through some tough challenges with teamwork and perseverance, and without each and every member, the team would not be what it is today. Hopefully, we have instilled enough confidence and knowledge in the continuing members so that they may continue down the path of greatness and success and lead the Steel Bridge Team to another National Title.”

Jennifer Walley, a mechanical engineer, and 2006 Co-Captain, also quoted, “Team Chrome Ollie has been a driving force behind my educational path. Without the lessons of teamwork, commitment, time management, and of course, engineering, I would not be the person I am today.  I am grateful that I was allowed to become a member of this team, it reminds me that hard work and dedication make is possible to overcome any and all obstacle that get in the way of success.  This team is amazing, we are a family, I can't think of any other way I would have wanted to spend my undergraduate career than with this group of dedicated students and advisors.”

Next year’s fabrication head, Phil Weeks, a soon to be senior, who was on the fabrication and assembly crew this year, has high hopes for next year’s season. “This year’s campaign has been a real learning experience for me. I’m excited, and nervous, about being one of the responsible ones next season. We’re looking forward to putting on a good show. Nationals will be down in Northridge, so if we earn a trip, competing near home would be awesome. There’s some new equipment on campus as well, so we’re going to implement some exciting fabrication schemes. Design-wise, we’re also thinking about a new bridge system that has never been attempted on the Steel Bridge Competition scene. Rules permitting, we may go for it.”

“This has been the third year in a row where a truss bridge design has been the prominent bridge type selection,” says Matt Turner, UC Davis head advisor for the past three years, “I remember when the NSSBC used to be all about simple beams, but I think the trusses allow for much more variety in the competition, not to mention the design challenges for the students. The fabrication, connections and assembly procedures for these designs have advanced quite rapidly, and UC Davis has been at the forefront of such advancements. It has been great to see these young engineers learn, grow, bond as a team, and compete so prominently.”

 

The 2006 NSSBC Top 10 OVERALL were:

 

  • North Dakota State (1 st Efficiency, 2 nd Lightness) **4 th NSSBC Championship
  • SUNY Canton (1 st Speed, 2 nd Stiffness, 2 nd Efficiency) **Team Best
  • Wisconsin , Madison (3 rd Economy) **2002 NSSBC Host
  • Georgia Tech **GIT Team Best
  • Lakehead (1 st Aesthetics, 3 rd Efficiency)
  • Clemson (2 nd Economy, 3 rd Stiffness, 3 rd Speed) **2001 NSSBC Host
  • UC San Diego **UCSD Team Best
  • Cal State Chico
  • UC Davis
  • Lawrence Tech

Also, congratulations to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, for finishing 1 st in Construction Economy, and 2 nd in Construction Speed, and to UC Berkeley for their 11 th Place OVERALL finish in their first ever NSSBC showing.

 

Many thanks from Team Chrome-Ollie 2006 go out to the advisors who’ve helped smooth the edges a bit this season: Daret Kehlet, Tom Bell, Mike Akahori, Leo Palaima, Bill Sluis, Jed Roach, Matt McGarr, and Matt Turner.