ASCE 150th Anniversary

Mr. Robert Thompson of the Montgomery Branch of ASCE visited the chemistry classes of Ms. Tommie Holsenbeck at Jefferson Davis High School on February 21, 2002. He gave a short presentation on what he does as a geotechnical engineer, including a PowerPoint presentation with pictures of drill rigs, slope failures, and construction projects. He then spent some time demonstrating the West Point Bridge Designer, showing them some basic ways to change the design of the bridge. He encouraged them to download the software, though time was running short to enter the contest. Mr. Thompson also performed some "soils magic" experiments demonstrating the swelling properties of clays and the reinforcement of sandy soils. The visits concluded with the classes divided into 4 teams of 5 to 6 students. Each team was given toothpicks and gumdrops with which to build a 30 cm long bridge. The bridges were placed to span across two desks then load tested with weights. Ms. Holsenbeck had a small prize for the bridge in each class that held the most load. We need to all take a moment to thank Robert for helping to introduce our profession to some of our areas students in a fun and interesting way.