Academics
Signature Programs
Bridge Building Competition

Junior wins dramatic bridge-busting finale

The bridge built by Yuhan Liu ’21 finished first in Ransom Everglades’ highly anticipated annual bridge-busting competition at the Lewis Family Auditorium, outperforming the other four finalists as each bridge was loaded with weight until it splintered dramatically to shouts and applause by students.

Check out the scene in the Lewis Family Auditorium as Yuhan Liu's bridge is tested here.
Watch the video (RE Builds) produced last year on the competition here.
Liu’s bridge, the third to be tested, reached an efficiency of 989.7, holding nearly 1000 times its own weight. The bridge’s 24.84 grams held 51.6 pounds before crumbling into a pile of sticks. Her bridge narrowly defeated the bridge of Matt Weissman ’20, which reached 962.7 efficiency (19.13 grams, 38.0 pounds).

Jacob Wolfe ’21 finished in third place (921.6 efficiency, 25.51 grams, 47.2 pounds), topping Perry Samimy ’20 (753.5, 18.42 grams and 28.0 pounds) and Claire Medici ’20 (669.0 efficiency, 19.12 grams and 25.6 pounds).

That group survived earlier rounds of the competition that eliminated 115 other entrants from the school’s engineering, physics, architecture and other classes. The event is organized by STEM faculty Bob DuBard, Paul Natland ’02, Doug Heller ’80 and Luis Felipe. Natland annually serves as the event emcee, revving up the upper school student body with his showmanship and deep-throated introduction:

“Let’s get ready to cruuummmmmble!”

The event, Natland said, "is about might, it's about efficiency, and it's about strength, but it's also about beauty."

Art faculty members Astrid Dalins, Matt Stock, Jorge Guzman and Jose Rodriguez reviewed the competition entrants for aesthetics. Magnus Oberg '21 won that competition, topping second-place Joseph Kodsi '20, third-place Sophia Iacovelli '20 and honorable mention Connor Sahs '20

At the conclusion of the bridge competition, Liu and Oberg received bridge trophies that had been designed and 3D-printed on campus by DuBard.

Photo Gallery
Back
Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.