Annual Pasta Engineering Contest on Monday, March 9, 2020
Come out Monday and watch the bridges fall!
LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Contest for local high school students will take place at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, March 9, in the Fred M. Rogers Center. The public is welcome to attend and watch as miniature bridges constructed from uncooked pasta and hot glue are loaded with increasing weights until they collapse.
The competition aims to increase the awareness of high school students about the role engineering plays in their lives and the career opportunities in the field while providing an opportunity for students to collaborate on the design and construction of bridges in a fun and engaging way.
Competitors will include students representing nine local high schools: Apollo Ridge, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and Yough.
The event is co-sponsored by the Carbone family, DeLallo Italian Marketplace, Pantalone Funeral Home, Michael Baker International, Gibson-Thomas Engineering, The Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania – The International Bridge Conference, Kennametal, Mine Safety Authority (MSA) and Saint Vincent College’s Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing.
Judges for the competition will be Binky Sargent, manager of materials analysis at Kennametal; Matt Burns of Gibson-Thomas Engineering; and Bill Gordon of Michael Baker International.
Added to this year’s competition is the Engineering Design Award, which will be determined and awarded by the judges prior to the loading of the bridges. The Natalie Carbone Mangini Most Aesthetic Award will also be awarded for the third year.
The rules committee will consist of Saint Vincent College engineering faculty members Dr. Stacy Birmingham, Dr. Paul Follansbee and Dr. Derek Breid, as well as Dr. Alex Borselli, assistant professor of mathematics; Dr. Anthony Serapiglia, associate professor of computing and information systems; and Father Michael Antonacci, O.S.B., assistant professor of physics.
Organizers of the competition include Dr. Stephen Jodis, dean of the Boyer School and Tammy Marsh, Boyer School administrative assistant, along with Vince Mangini of the Carbone family; Zachary Schuler, senior economics/mathematics major from Pittsburgh (15241) representing the Mathematics Club; Richard Poff, sophomore business administration major of Enola, representing the Engineering Club; and Louis Borelli, junior physics major from Glassport, representing the Physics Club.
For more information, contact Tammy Marsh in the Boyer School at 724-805-2631.