Judges Choose Five College Teams to Compete in Student Titanium Pedestrian Bridge Design Finals

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Judges have now narrowed entries to five university teams to compete in the finals of the Student Titanium Pedestrian Bridge Design Competition sponsored by the Defense Metals Technology Center (DMTC) and The University of Akron.

Teams selected are from the Kent State University, Ball State University, Miami University, and the University of Akron. One university, unnamed, qualified two teams.  Other participating institutions were Case Western Reserve University, Purdue University, and Stevens Institute of Technology.

"I was impressed with the quality of all the submissions and their varied approach," says Lillian A. Kuri, a judge, who is Program Director of Architecture, Urban Design and Sustainable Development, Cleveland Foundation. "Moreover, the finalists presented ideas that, if built, would create an iconic image for the region."

"The submissions are extraordinarily creative," adds Charles Clark, executive director of the North Canton-based DMTC. "They demonstrate the depth of expertise of the outstanding design, architecture, and engineering schools in our region."

The finalists will personally present their entries to judges on April 14. The judges will then make known the First Place and Second Place winners and three designated as Honorable Mention on May 20 at a dinner at InfoCision Stadium, the new University of Akron Football complex.

The DMTC will provide scholarship money to students on the five teams. Likewise, it will convey grants to their institutions for the study of specialty metals in commercial applications.

The new titanium pedestrian bridge will help solve a logistical problem at the Quaker Square Inn at the University of Akron, which serves as a residence hall, hotel, and conference center.  The development is fenced off from the main Akron campus by railroad tracks, which forces pedestrians to use remote bridges to access the main campus.

Titanium has advantages over other metals. It weighs much less than steel, yet is just as strong.  It does not rust and is corrosion-resistant to salt water and chlorine.  Many experts believe that bridges secured with titanium would be better protected against a possible collapse than conventional steel-supported bridges.

Government and private funding will be sought for the bridge construction after the competition. The DMTC intends the bridge to demonstrate the versatility of titanium and make the metal more affordable for life-saving military armament.

In 2007, Congress funded the DMTC, headquartered at Stark State College, as a U.S. Army Center of Excellence.  This design Competition is in line with the DMTC mission to demonstrate meaningful commercial applications of titanium. This increasing use of titanium, according to the DMTC, hopefully will lower the cost of titanium and, hence, allow the military to use more armor plate-quality titanium in life-saving armaments.  

Along with Kuri, judges were Leila L. Vespoli, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of First Energy Corporation; Job H. Lippincott, Publisher, Rubberworld Magazine; Victor J. Scaravilli, Chairman and CEO, Mole Constructors, Inc; Paul Thomarios, President, Thomarios Companies, and Jeffrey Spangler,  principal, R. E. Warner & Associates.  The Hon Ralph Regula, retired Congressman, Ohio 16th District, Navarre, also is a judge, but could not be at the preliminary selection.

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Charles Clark

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SOURCE Defense Metals Technology Center