Bridge testing during the 8th High School Wooden Bridge Competition.
The 8th High School Wooden Bridge Competition organized by the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Qatar University, College of Engineering (QU-CENG) ended with a virtual closing award ceremony.
The first place was awarded to Jassim bin Hamad Secondary School for Boys, and second place to Ahmed bin Hanbal Secondary School for Boys, and third place to Al Shahaniya Secondary School for Boys.
Commenting on the event, Mohammed Hussein, Head of Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, said, “The competition aims to promote civil engineering skills among Qatari secondary school students by providing them with the opportunity to test and design small bridges and come up with innovative bridges that can bear loads. This competition is a way to showcase the principles of civil engineering to participants, to highlight its importance to life and industry, and to attract distinguished Qatari students to the civil engineering programme.”
Concerning the competition rules and requirements, Dr. Wael Alnahhal, Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department and the competition’s supervisor, said, “16 secondary schools participated in the competition, and 36 wooden bridges were tested. The total length of each bridge is 100 cm. The model wooden bridges are made with wooden sticks and wood glue, with the actual number of wooden sticks used in the bridge not exceeding 120, and the width not exceeding 30 cm.”
“This competition enhances the students’ confidence and their ability to make scientific decisions based on simple principles of Civil Engineering. It also aims to provide them with the skills to work as a team and instill a spirit of cooperation to do any fruitful work,” he added.
