Budding, young engineers-to-be are poised for uniquely hands-on lessons in building next week when they participate in the Pinhead Institute’s annual summer Bridge Camp and construct and install a new bridge for use by both pedestrians and cyclists in the Telluride community.
The week-long program will prepare elementary and middle school students to begin thinking like engineers through creative, theme-based, learning challenges designed to excite them about engineering as well as physics and architecture.
“We have been running this camp for years, but last year I got the grand idea why don’t we have the kids actually build a real life bridge,” said Pinhead Institute Executive Director Sarah Holbrooke.
“Town of Telluride Program Manger Lance McDonald was immediately on board and picked a site that needed help. The kids worked there every day for a week and at the end of camp, the bridge was done and the kids learned a great, hands-on lesson in engineering and cooperation. It was a thrill for the kids and I think very useful for the community.”
This summer the Bridge Camp project is a wooden foot/bike bridge that will span an irrigation ditch on the town’s River Trail. The site can become flooded during irrigation, creating obstacles for trail users.
In addition to building the new bridge, the campers will also build, test, and make improvements to their own model bridges. They will learn about the evolution of bridges including the introduction of lighter, stronger, modern materials, and learn to identify a variety of common bridge types such as: suspension, truss, arch, beam, and cable-stayed.
“They will learn about strength to weight ratios, choosing materials, and basic engineering principles,” said Pinhead Institute Program Manager Patrick Sharlow, who will lead the camp.
Other byproducts of Bridge Camp include strengthening research, problem solving, teamwork, and basic construction skills – not to mention setting the foundation for future learning.
“If kids do plan on going into any type of engineering, the earlier you expose them, the more likely they are to be successful,” said Sharlow, who trained as a mechanical engineer.
But not only will kids interested in math, science and building have fun during Bridge Camp, they’ll also be providing a valuable public service to the community.
“We look at Pinhead as an ongoing partner and it’s a great collaboration for small projects that need to be done by hand,” said McDonald.
Bridge Camp meets at Pinhead HQ (at the Cimarron Lodge) from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Mon., Aug. 10 through Fri., Aug. 14. Cost of the course is $200 and financial aid is available. To register, click here.
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