http://www.howstuffworks.com/bridge.htm
A comprehensive website designed to explain how bridges work. The website explains the fundamental principles and designs of bridges. Video clips and interactive tools are provided on this site.
This is a great website with very little disadvantages. I give it a rating of 5 Stars.
Historic Bridge Foundation
http://www.historicbridgefoundation.com/
The website is a national advocacy organization for the preservation of bridges of historical significance in the United States. It provides information, newsletters, and a directory of consultants. Educational information is provided in order to promote awareness of historic bridges.
This a good website for getting information on bridges, but lacks the indepth background for bridge building. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: Building Model Bridges
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2001/5/01.05.04.x.html
This comprehensive website provides information on the types of bridges. The website also provides bridge lesson plans for teachers.
The website demonstrates a variety of model bridges and how they are constructed. One of the pitfalls of the site is that it does not meet the same specs as the science olympiad compotition. I give this site a 4 out of 5 stars.
The Toothpick Bridge
http://www.pisymphony.com/toothpick/toothpick1.htm
This website explains how to design a toothpick bridge. Step by step procedures along with pictures help one through the building process. The website explains the math, physics, and engineering processes involved in making the bridge.
This is a great site for getting students interested in building bridges. There are a variety of resources on the site. Down fall is that it is not a balsa bridge website. I give this site a 4 out of 5 stars.
Spaghetti Bridge Competition
http://civil.camosun.bc.ca/spaghetti_bridge/
Sponsored by the Civil Engineering Department at Camosun College. Competitions is for grades 6-9 and grades 10-12. Contest rules and entry information provided on the website
This site allows students to see what is available as far as engineering competition. This site is not too informative on how to build bridges. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
West Point Bridge Design Contest
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/
The US Military Academy provides free bridge building software used to design and test the efficiency of the design. This free software allows educators to teach the importance of structural design and engineering principals. Every year there is a West Point Bridge Contest which is for ages 13 and up to 12th grade. The contest is based on the bridge building software. There are both national and local contests endorsed by West Point Academy.
This is a great site for students to take advantage of. I give it 5 stars.
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/
The US Military Academy provides free bridge building software used to design and test the efficiency of the design. This free software allows educators to teach the importance of structural design and engineering principals. Every year there is a West Point Bridge Contest which is for ages 13 and up to 12th grade. The contest is based on the bridge building software. There are both national and local contests endorsed by West Point Academy.
This is a great site for students to take advantage of. I give it 5 stars.
You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/
Provides online video broadcasts on a number of topics. Videos are created by individuals and uploaded to the site. There is a search engine for this site, so that one can find videos on a particular topic of interest easily. In the case of bridge building, a person would type in key words such as “bridge” or “balsa bridge.”
This is a great resource. The only downfall is that most schools have you tube blocked. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
42eXplore
http://42explore.com/
http://42explore.com/bridge.htm
The website provides a variety of educational themes, which provides students with a means of getting started on a particular project. Each topic has links to other sites on the topic along with a brief description of the website.
This is a very comprehensive website. Some of the material could be above the level of a middle school student. I give it 5 stars
Nova: “Super Bridge”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bridge/
This website comes from PBS’s hit show NOVA, which has created a website based on its episode show “super bridge.” This website provides games, links, and resources for both teachers and students. The website provides information on engineering principles and problem solving methods.
Its from PBS! Great for middle school students. I give it 5 stars
Nova: “Super Bridge”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bridge/
This website comes from PBS’s hit show NOVA, which has created a website based on its episode show “super bridge.” This website provides games, links, and resources for both teachers and students. The website provides information on engineering principles and problem solving methods.
Its from PBS! Great for middle school students. I give it 5 stars
SWE Lesson Plan: Bridge Construction (grades 5-12)
http://www.swe.org/iac/LP/bridge_01b.html
Website provides complete lesson plans for a bridge building activity. The lesson was originally produced by the Society of Women Engineers.
This is great for a starting teacher at the middle school level. Compared to the other listed sites, I would rank this a 3 out of 5 stars
Bridge Pros
http://bridgepros.com/
Website dedicated to the history of past, present, and future bridge projects. Information on products, material, and engineering practices are provided on this site.
Great site to show students what can be made. There are very little seen downfalls. I give this site 5 stars
