UT Tyler Houston Engineering Center Advances to National Student Steel Bridge Contest

May 20, 2024 | Hannah Buchanan

Students at The University of Texas at Tyler Houston Engineering Center have advanced to the 2024 American Institute of Steel Construction’s Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals May 31 – June 1 in Louisiana.

UT Tyler HEC qualified to compete by placing among the top four teams at this year’s steel bridge
competition at the American Society of Civil Engineers Region 6 Symposium with their entry, “UT
Tyler – HEC.” The UT Tyler HEC team earned first in cost estimation, second in lightness, and third in aesthetics and construction speed.

They outperformed teams from LeTourneau University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, UT Austin and Texas A&M University, among others. At the annual contest, collegiate teams build steel bridges under a time limit and are judged in various categories.

“The students are excited to be going back to nationals for the second time in four years. Their teamwork and dedication are very impressive,” said Shariful Huq, UT Tyler HEC assistant professor of practice and team faculty adviser. “The team is very grateful for the support and sponsorship of the College of Engineering, civil engineering department, industry partners and professional organizations."

More than 200 schools across North America competed at the regional level this year, with the top
40-45 teams advancing to the SSBC national finals. Outstanding overall performance in regional
competitions, and only participation in those competitions, qualifies eligible teams for the national
finals, which is organized by AISC in collaboration with ASCE.

UT Tyler HEC steel bridge team members are Mazin Mukdadi, captain; Antonino Duenas, co-captain; and Jose Herrera, Alexander Carranza, Abel Perez, Antonio Melchor, Jennifer Valle Camacho, Clare Roewe, Cristian Peralez, Jacquelyn Cazares, Jason Salgado, Oswald Andrade and Guillermo Oliver, all of Houston.

As the largest ASCE student symposium worldwide, Region 6 consists of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Mexico and includes schools such as UT Austin, Texas A&M University, University of Oklahoma, New Mexico State University, Tech de Monterrey and Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos.

The steel bridge competition first began in 1987, with three teams and has grown every year since.
For more information, visit https://nationalfinals.studentsteelbridge.org/about.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.