On Nov. 13, NHTI – Concord’s Community College hosted the annual New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition on its Concord campus. The event featured 43 teams from high schools across the state, including Concord High School, Gorham Middle High School, Hopkinton High School, Milford High School, Nashua High School South, Plymouth Regional High School, and Winnisquam Regional Middle School.

Students worked throughout the fall term under the mentorship of NHDOT engineers to design and construct bridges using only popsicle sticks, hot glue, and creativity. The bridges were tested for their load capacity and efficiency, with the goal of holding the highest load relative to their weight.

The competition took place in Sweeney Hall Auditorium, where each team registered their bridge with NHDOT and then placed it on a testing rig. The rig distributed load evenly across the structure while the team members monitored its performance. Winning bridges demonstrated exceptional strength and efficiency.

This year’s winners were:

First Place: Hopkinton High School

Second Place: Hopkinton High School

Third Place: Milford High School

The competition is part of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) STEM Outreach Solutions Program. Through this initiative, state transportation departments collaborate with high schools, providing curricula, resources, and engineer mentors to inspire students and highlight the role of math and science in engineering.

In addition to the high school competition, NHTI students from the Architecture and Civil Engineering Technology programs showcased their skills by designing and building aluminum bridges as part of their Steel and Timber Design course. These college-level bridges, while not part of the competition, demonstrated the advanced techniques students develop in higher education.

For more information on the competition or to obtain detailed results, contact NHTI’s Architecture and Civil Engineering Technology programs at vtcarter@ccsnh.edu.