Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and Oceans

Learn how civil engineers work to modify and improve the world we live in.  As part of the day's activities, you will interact with physical models that will demonstrate how human activity affects streams, rivers, and watersheds, as we work toward a more sustainable future.  Another model will illustrate the dangers associated with small dams that are abundant in the Midwest and how water enthusiasts can remain safe.

Bridge Design

Recent structural failures, such as the I-35 West Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis in August of 2007, demonstrate the need for safe and economically feasible structures.  During this session, you will complete a virtual design of a highway bridge using West Point Bridge Designer software.  You will then perform structural and cost analysis of your design to ensure that safety and economic performance goals are achieved.

Structures Under Fire

When a fire rages through a building, the potential for a catastrophic collapse puts civilians and firefighters in grave danger.  When you become a civil engineer, you can play a vital role in designing structural elements so that there is sufficient time to safely evacuate everyone from a burning building and to win the battle against the fire.  In this session, you will learn how the deadly, hot gasses from a fire are transmitted to the structure, and how the structure responds to the intense heat.  You will also discover how your engineering knowledge of materials, when designing structure walls, floors, and ceilings, can prevent catastrophic building collapse and save lives.

Soils Magic

Soil is the most commonly available construction material in the world.  Geotechnical engineers always find ways to use soils to perform some useful function--to build roads, dams, dykes, walls, foundations, and more.  Soil possesses many unique properties that enable inexpensive engineering solutions to challenging situations.  During "Soils Magic," you will get hands-on experience and learn how soil's "magical" properties are utilized in real-world engineering design.

Structural Strengthening

With an increasing number of deteriorated, underrated, and overloaded bridges in the United States, an effective alternative to replacing concrete bridges is needed.  Externally applied CFRP fabrics, developed by Lawrence Tech students, offer a viable solution.  The advantages of the CFRP strengthening approach are numerous, and this work has been published extensively.  Faculty and students will demonstrate a destructive load test of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with this new material.