This year, the EAA Awards event may have looked a little bit different, but the bridge designs were just as creative and impressive as ever! Over the course of the eight-week virtual program, the students worked with volunteer instructors from the architecture, engineering and construction professions to compile a design package which included a Hand Sketch, Computer Model, Essay and Presentation Video. The students based their bridge design packages on one of two real-world scenarios: 1) a new pedestrian bridge in Calistoga, California or 2) a new cyclist bridge in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The 2021 Bridge Showcase & Awards Event was held on the Hopin conferencing platform on April 17, 2021. Over thirty students from the EAA Bay Area, Atlanta and Houston chapters competed, and students with the top two designs from each class were invited to participate and present live. The virtual event included an Expo where event attendees could view the Hand Sketches and Computer Models of each presenter any time during the event. There was also an opportunity to check-out the Hand Sketches for the People’s Choice Award winners, selected from each class by popular vote.
During the Awards Event, all participating students presented their Hand Sketch and Computer Model to a panel of judges in one of three semi-final sessions. The students discussed their structural design features and artistic inspiration as well as any challenges encountered though the design process. The top scoring student from each semi-final session advanced to the Final Round and made their presentation to the full panel of nine judges. First, second and third place winners were then announced by the Vice Presidents of the Student Impact Project, Dema Tzamaras and Rafael Turcios, and the Vice President of Technology, Simon Ng. This year we were excited to award first prize to Sofie Azmi of Abraham Lincoln High School!
All in all, the 2021 Bridge Showcase & Awards Event was one for the books, and we couldn’t be more proud of our students, volunteer instructors and classroom teachers for making this another successful year for the Student Impact Project!
2021 Judges
The Judging panel included industry experts with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences from engineering, architectural and creative fields. The judges evaluated the student presentations as well as each Hand Sketch, and Computer Model.
Robert Becker
Robert Becker Designs
Matthew Dejong
UC Berkeley, Engineering
Katy Ford
Ratcliff Architects
Rupa Garai
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Adrain Ku
Tipping Structural Engineers
Roger Parra
Degenkolb Engineers
David Petta
ELS Architecture and Urban Design
Ray Pugliesi
Degenkolb Engineers
Hala Titus
CDM Smith
Student Entries
Congratulations to all of the students that completed the 2021 Student Impact Project! Here are the top students from each school that qualified to compete for the Bridge Showcase & Awards Event, including students from EAA’s Chapters in Houston and Atlanta. Students are listed by Session Groups, and if they competed in the Awards Event their work is presented in the corresponding Student Entries slide show.
GROUP ONE
Winner: Kyle Li – 2nd Place
Judges: Katy Taylor Ford, Ray Pugliesi, Adrian Ku
Oakland School for the Arts, Olivia Chan
Alameda Community Learning Center, Betty Melaku
Nea Community Learning Center, Owen Harling
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, Katia Martinez
Abraham Lincoln High School, Kyle Li
Ida B Wells High School, Alex Mendoza
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, Emilia Burkhart
New Technology High School, Brayan Gayton
Livermore High School, Stephan Gilbert-O’Neil
Houston – Heights High School, Raul Solis
Houston – Heights High School, Hailey Wood
GROUP TWO
Winner: Kevin Speroni – 3rd Place
Judges: Rupa Garai, David Petta, Robert Becker
Oakland School for the Arts, Colette Brown
Nea Community Learning Center, Esther McBride
Nea Community Learning Center, Sara Lam
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, Jack Kennedy
Livermore High School, Hershey Sarathy
Livermore High School, Kevin Speroni
Pinole Valley High School, Alyssa Ramos
Houston – Heights High School, Jason Flores
Houston – Heights High School, Cynthia Martinez
Atlanta – The New School, Louisa Hofert
GROUP THREE
Winner: Sofie Azmi – 1st Place
Judges: Matthew DeJong, Roger Parra, Hala Titus
El Cerrito High School, Maximilian Go
Alameda Community Learning Center, Alex Bertault
Nea Community Learning Center, Ana Jeronimo-Mendez
Abraham Lincoln High School, Sofie Azmi
San Francisco Hilltop High School, Mayerly Alvarez
Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, Isabel Lombardi-Coronel
New Technology High School, Tian Sanchez
Livermore High School, Adriana Martz
Houston – Heights High School, Zade Rojas
Houston – Heights High School, Lilian Bard
Atlanta – The New School, Jayla N’Diaye
