Cleveland State University Summer Outreach Program

 JUNE 28, 2024

A one-day summer camp was planned for K-12 students on June 28th, 2024. The summer camp was intended to introduce bridge engineering focused on the importance of bridges and basics of design and construction. These topics would be presented through a series of hands-on activities. All activities would be performed live during the one-day event.

Dr. Josiah Owusu-Danquah began by giving a brief presentation on civil engineering, basic principles of statics and illustrated important points for designing adequate bridges. The aim of this project was to engage students in hands-on activities, such as building models of bridges. This program sought to foster a deeper understanding of engineering principles and the role of infrastructure in community resilience.
Students constructed their bridge prototypes using popsicle sticks, cardboard, and glue. They worked collaboratively in groups of less than 3 to assemble the truss structure, ensuring that it met the specified dimensions (25in) long and width 3.5in.
The time that the prototypes took to vibrate after a toy car passed through the platforms was recorded for each prototype. The prototype was also passed through an electrodynamic shaker for vibration testing of bridge prototypes.