TOOTHPICK BRIDGE BASH

For nearly ten years now, fifth graders at Bluff Creek Elementary School in Chaska have been bugging their parents to buy round, not flat, toothpicks, because they’re stronger.  And about a quarter of them always seem to discover the hard way that hot melt glue guns can and will burn your fingers if you’re not very, very careful.  It’s the annual Toothpick Bridge Bash.  Dennis Harvey of MTS Systems Corporation in Eden Prairie, along with a number of his engineer coworkers, and student’s parents who are engineers, have been conducting the annual Bridge Bash since the early 1990’s. 

Donna Turner and Mark Milbrett, wearing E-Week T-shirts, test the strength of a Toothpick Bridge as the anxious builders look on.

Using E-week materials, which are often funded by the Minnesota Section of ASME, students learn about engineering disciplines and careers.  In the first session, they are also given the rules and guidelines for the Bridge Bash.  The students are to design and build a toothpick bridge that must span a 12-inch gap.  No more than 100 toothpicks can be used, and excessive glue will disqualify a bridge from the strength competition (the lesson on composite materials is reserved for when they get to middle school).

A week later, the students bring their creations to school for the Bash.  There are two categories for awards: 1) strength, as determined by how many 10-inch spikes can be placed in a bucket suspended from the center of the bridge before it crashes to the floor, and 2) creative design, as determined by some very stressed-out engineers as they look into the student’s expecting eyes and take the bridges off the table one-by-one until the design winning bridge remains to claim the prize.

This is a wonderful activity for both the engineers and the students, alike.  If you want more information on how you can do something similar at a school in your area, contact Dennis at dennis.harvey@mts.com.  He will be glad to set you up with a handout and instructions.

Note:  This years Bridge Bash is scheduled for March 5th and 12th at Bluff Creek Elementary.