Bridges to the Future
The high school students descended upon Hermann Hall, some accompanied by parents, others arriving by the busload with their teachers. Wearing fleece hoodies, down jackets, or plaid uniform skirts, the young people formed a queue to check in their masterpieces—small-scale bridges of basswood that they each designed and built in the hope that their bridge’s strength would earn them a chance at a coveted first- or second-place slot in the 2018 Chicago Regional Bridge Building Contest, held on January 23 at Illinois Tech.