WEST POINT, N.Y. –West Point’s Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering will host the final round of the West Point Bridge Design Contest on May 8 here beginning at 9 a.m. in Eisenhower Hall.

This year, four local students from Cornwall, N.Y., have made their way to the top by outranking more than 8,000 other teams to compete for the title of best virtual bridge design team.

Team Arch Nemeses – Sean Casey and Bobby Flitsch, Cornwall, N.Y.
Team Bebop – Myles Billard and Josh Hawthorne-Madell, Cornwall, N.Y.
Team JLLH – Jiaqi Li and Lucky Hedin, Naples, Fla.
Team Austin Rocks – Kevin Stager and Madeline Stager, Austin, Texas
Team Soccer Bucs – Ryan Lockwood and Karac Seech, Buckhannon, W. Va.

The purpose of this high technology, interactive, Internet-based competition is to provide middle and high school students with a realistic, engaging introduction to engineering through designing structurally accurate bridges using an award winning software program.

“Having a workforce educated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is an issue of strategic importance to the United States. West Point is eager to provide meaningful opportunities for our nation’s younger students to inspire them to engage in STEM educational activities,” said Dean of the Academic Board, Brig. Gen. Patrick Finnegan.

In response to the President’s “Educate to Innovate” program and the nation’s call to promote STEM, the U.S. Military Academy’s Center for STEM sponsored the 2010 contrdy that ran from February 1 through March 5. The contest began in 2001 and is offered annually.

Teachers and engineering professionals who wish to run a local bride design contest in conjunction with the national competition should see http:www.bridgecontest.usma.edu/local.htm for instructions.

About West Point
Ranked the “Top College in the Country” by Forbes and “Top Public Liberal Arts College” by US News & World Report, the U.S. Military Academy is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City.  The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering.  Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.  For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.