Still Time for Pasco County High School Teams to Enter, Deadline February 25

Community Invited to View Saint Leo U’s Bridge-Building Competition

The community is invited to watch future and amateur engineers and scientists compete in Saint Leo University’s annual Popsicle® stick bridge competition. Hosted by the Department of Natural Sciences, the event will be held 6-8 p.m., Thursday, March 9, in Selby Auditorium in Lewis Hall at the campus at 33701 State Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574. Selby Auditorium/Lewis Hall is visible on the immediate right just inside the main entrance to the campus, four miles east of Interstate 75 (Exit 285) in the town of St. Leo. Free parking is available in surface lots and in the campus garage.

Saint Leo University and Pasco County high school students are invited to design and build Popsicle® stick bridges and compete in this contest. The deadline to register is February 25. The winners will be selected in two categories: the strongest bridge that can hold the most weight and the Most Aesthetically-Pleasing Bridge that receives the most votes from the audience! 

High school faculty who would like to enter their students (as well as students who are interested), may participate by emailing Harsha.Perera@saintleo.edu. Teams of one to three students may compete, and members should come up with a name for their bridge. The goal of the contest is to build the strongest possible bridge using only Elmer’s® glue and no more than 200 standard Popsicle® sticks. The entries must bridge a 1.2-meter span as described in the contest rules.

Register by emailing Dr. Harsha Perera, assistant professor of physics and physical sciences in the College of Arts and Science, Harsha.Perera@saintleo.edu by February 25, then pick up a kit, design a bridge, build it (test it if you like) and then come to the university to test it on March 9.

The public is invited to attend the event to watch the teams compete and see which bridge can hold the most weight (and which bridges collapse quickly)!

About Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation, offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs and specializations to more than 15,300 students each year. Founded in 1889 in the Benedictine tradition, the private, nonprofit university is known for providing an education to learners of all backgrounds and ages. Saint Leo is regionally accredited and offers a residential campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, 14 education centers in five states, and an online program for students anywhere. The university is home to more than 103,000 alumni. Learn more at saintleo.edu.