Five TAMUK students consolidated their individual engineering prowess and brought home a silver medal from the 2020 Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI) Student Design-Build Competition.
Seniors Richard Rowland (team captain) and Maria Garcia Torres, junior John Ruiz, sophomore Jacquelyne Garcia Torres and May 2020 graduate Kaley Dodd won two of the five categories; Best Build and Best Poster.
“Working with my fellow teammates was one of the best experiences I have had within my educational career. I developed connections that I never imagined had it not been for the Student-Build Competition. We developed effective strategies, internal deadlines, and assigned members with their most established skills. Each member flourished and rose to the challenge despite their additional responsibilities as well,” Jacquelyne Garcia Torres said.
Each year, the Preservation Engineering Technical Committee (PETC) selects a thematic framework to limit and guide participants throughout the three-phase competition.
2017 to 2019’s themes included masonry arches, timber bridges and masonry arches, respectively. The 2020 competition followed the pattern and saw competitors attempt to build their best timber bridge.
“I considered this Student-Build Competition as a way to execute what I am learning within my academic knowledge into a physical system. Realistically, once an engineering student is in the workforce it will be crucial for them to know how to handle one’s schedule to meet deadlines despite the additional endeavors one may have. This competition was a great way to train in a small-scale the responsibilities I will face within my career,” Jacquelyne Garcia Torres said.
Competition specifications were released on Dec. 9, 2019, kicking off Phase 1. The teams then had 60 days to finalize their roster and select their bridge type.
“We chose to go with a queen post truss design for its efficiency. The design of a queen post may look simple, but it is very sturdy and effective while using minimal materials to build it. We felt that this was a great aspect to design around and present at competition,” Rowland said.
Phase 2 jumped off on Feb. 7 and ran through April 17. This 70-day period saw competitors “prepare documentation of their bridge design in the form of standard professional structural drawings.”
On May 11, Rowland and company received their invite to compete in the final stage of the competition. The invitation was one of five from a pool of competitors that included international teams and Ivy League programs. The competition also had no classification guidelines, therefore the TAMUK team of undergraduates went head-to-head with graduate students and doctoral candidates.
Edmonton, Alberta was to host Phase 3 of the competition, but like many 2020 events, the conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the stiff competition and the drawbacks associated with virtual competition, the TAMUK team finished second overall and racked up two “Best of” awards for their build and their poster.
Faculty mentors included Dr. Francisco Aguinaga, Dr. Breanna Bailey and James Glusing. Patrick Sparks of Sparks Engineering served as the professional mentor.
“I’m very proud of them, and I know that this competition took a lot of time and effort. Student competitions like this are an important part of the learning process, and I am glad to see TAMUK’s architectural engineering program so well represented,” Dr. Bailey said.
Rowland praised his team members and was enthusiastic about the bond created during the building process.
“Working with my fellow classmates and now best friends has been amazing. We have all gotten to know each other better, and we always encourage and help each other in our academic studies. Meeting my teammates has made a great impact on my life, and I am proud to have led such an amazing group,” the team captain said.
He also offered a few words of motivation and assurance to students who might be interested in similar extracurricular activities.
“For students that are considering joining this event or something similar, I recommend just jumping in full force, and you won’t regret it. I have had the chance to see different things, places and meet friends that I will never forget. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t walked in that door with no hesitation,” Rowland said.