Showcasing a new understanding of engineering and architectural principles, over 45 teams of high school students presented their scale-bridge designs for the retrofit of a bridge in Rio-Antirrio, Greece or the replacement of a bridge in Santa Cruz, California. The 2024 Bridge Showcase & Awards Event was held at UC Berkeley on Saturday, April 20, 2024, and is the annual celebration and culmination of the innovative program created by Engineers Alliance for the Arts (EAA). Known as the Student Impact Project, scale bridges, hand sketches, essays, and oral presentations are required components of the program, which is designed to inspire and educate students about the interaction of art, architecture, engineering and construction.

The Event was hosted by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UC Berkeley and was held in Stanley Hall on the Cal campus. Professor Matt DeJong gave the Keynote address highlighting the vital role engineering plays in the built environment and some of the creative ways issues can be addressed. Natalie Tse, of Tipping Structural Engineers, served as the event emcee. A distinguished group of Judges, including Noelle Yuen of Maffei Structural, Ken Klein of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger,  Ray Pugliesi of Degenkolb Engineers, Lauren Sullivan of CDM Smith, Robert Becker of Presenting Architecture, Matt DeJong of UC Berkeley, Laura Howard of Fox Rothschild, LLP, and, Katy Taylor Ford of Ratcliff Architects evaluated the bridges and team presentations.

The top awarded winning bridge was presented by students from Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, and offered “the elegance of an arch bridge with the efficiency of a suspension bridge,” as stated by the student designers. In addition to the Best in Show Award, there are multiple categories of other awards presented to teams, including best design award, top communication award, and the President’s Award, which is selected by EAA Board President, Will Kotterman.

Over 600 students participated in the California program, which was hosted in 23 high school classes and supported by over 60 volunteers, all professionals in engineering or architecture. The schools are not charged to participate in the program and all required supplies and materials are provided by EAA at no cost.

The program offers students the unique experience of working with engineers and designers to learn problem solving, team building, and presentation skills in a project-based classroom setting. Since 1999, EAA has provided Bay Area schools with fully-developed STEAM-focused curriculum spanning ten weeks. The program brings a fresh and exciting tool to the educational experience by showcasing the arts as a critical component of engineering. The volunteer engineers and architects show students the wide span of industry possibilities and encourage students to consider a future career in engineering or a related field.

In recent years, EAA has opened Chapters in Tulsa, Houston, Charleston, and Atlanta and has resources available to help establish new Chapters. Engineers, SEA-organizations, or communities interested in starting an EAA Chapter to bring this transformative program to local students can find more information at www.EngineersAlliance.org or contact Executive Director Michelle Lehman at eaabayarea@gmail.com.

Engineers Alliance for the Arts was founded in 1998 by Ashraf Habibullah and the original curriculum was conceived by past EAA Board President Jax Kneppers. EAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and tax-deductible donations are welcome to help EAA continue their mission to find, inspire, and educate the next generation of industry leaders.