Over the past couple years, thanks to Science Olympiad competitions and Physics classes, Jake has learned a few things about what makes a good bridge. As we are driving, he will often comment on the style and structure of the bridges we pass by.

(This is ironic, given my fear of bridges since I was little. I try not to think too much about how a bridge is built as I drive over it.)

For the second year in a row, Jake won a bridge building competition at Metea and was invited to compete with other highschoolers in the area at IIT. Jim escorted him, so we actually have footage of the competition.

First he sets up his bridge in the box. If only the bridge had thoughts of its own, it would be trembling right now, knowing that it was facing certain doom.

Then he loads the bucket down below with weights until the bridge can’t hold together any longer and breaks. Unfortunately, this was not his best performance. The bridge broke sooner than he had hoped. But still a good, growing experience!