PITTSBURGH, PA – The University of Mount Union’s civil engineering student group was one of two winners for the International Bridge Conference’s (IBC) James D. Cooper student poster competition, which is open to college engineering students worldwide. With less than 20 total winners of the James D. Cooper competition, the group made history as the first Mount Union students to receive this honor.

The group is comprised Benjamin Hoffmann ‘22 and Tyler Stitzel ‘22, who presented at the IBC, as well as Marcus Ryder ‘22, John Willet ‘22 and Brady Pierce ’22. They received a fellowship, were invited to present their poster and had the valuable opportunity to network with other civil engineers from around the world.

Hoffman and Stitzel presented their senior capstone project, which included designing and building two timber bridges on the Buckeye Trail at Camp Asbury, located in Northern Ohio. During the academic year they spent on the project, the group learned technical specifications, design criteria, test procedures and many engineering aspects of a timber bridge project.

Along with the conference, the students also had the opportunity to engage with the community and outside agencies, allowing them the real-world opportunity to deliver the project.

The IBC is the pre-eminent arena for the bridge industry in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Presented by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, the IBC attracts over 1,000 bridge owners and engineers, senior policymakers, government officials, bridge designers, construction executives, and suppliers from throughout the United States and abroad.