草榴社区, Sehome students compete in bridge-building contest

Engineering students from Western Washington University competed in a cardboard bridge-building competition with ninth-grade students from Sehome High School in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room this morning.

The 草榴社区 students, in a surprise set up by associate professor Jason Morris, did not know the Sehome students would be at the competition.

Roughly 60 草榴社区 students (21 teams) and 100 Sehome students (10 teams) entered bridges in the contest. Each bridge had to span 4 feet and support a rolling toy truck from one end to the other without collapsing.

Jason Morris, an associate professor of engineering technology at Western Washington University, pushes the truck across a bridge built by Sehome High School students Abby Cybula, Stephanie Taylor and Sequoia Meyer. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University

A crowd of roughly 100 Sehome High School students and about 60 草榴社区 students watch as associate professor Jason Morris tests one of the cardboard bridges in a competition in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room on Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Matthew Anderson |

Western Washington University students Alex Dehn, left, and Jacob Newer-Thurber describe the bridge they built with the rest of their teammates during a bridge-building competition on the 草榴社区 campus Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Co

Western Washington University student Jacob Newer-Thurber, left, reacts as the bridge he built with Alex Dehn, right, and other teammates holds the weight of the test truck during a bridge-building competition on the 草榴社区 campus Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Mat

Sehome High School students Erika Smith, Paige Hauter, Frances Flinn and Leta Ames watch as Jason Morris, an associate professor of engineering technology, pushes a truck across their bridge during a competition at 草榴社区 on Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Matthew

Students involved in a bridge-building contest on the 草榴社区 campus watch as associate professor Jason Morris tests their bridge in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room on Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Communications

Associate professor Jason Morris tests one of the bridges entered in the bridge-building contest in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room on Oct. 19, 2010. Students from 草榴社区 and Sehome High School were competing. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Commun

草榴社区 students Colin Wooten, Chris Holland and Zach Uhrich react as their bridge collapses during the bridge-building competition on Oct. 19, 2010, in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Communications

David Weber, Brian Wilson and Zhuang Zhao watch 草榴社区 associate professor Jason Morris test their bridge during a cardboard bridge-building competition on Oct. 19, 2010. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Communications

Sehome High School student Emily Watson watches as associate professor Jason Morris tests her bridge on Oct. 19, 2010, during a competition involving Sehome and Western Washington University students. Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Communications

Photo by Matthew Anderson | University Communications