As a part of their STEM curricula, fifth-graders in New Jersey Public Schools learn about and design their own bridges. To assist with this project for talented and gifted students, Cherry Hill Public Schools reached out to Pennoni Associates as recognized experts in bridge design and inspection for assistance. An engineer from Pennoni was able to bring the curriculum at Sharp Elementary School to life by speaking to the students about bridges with first-hand knowledge from the field.
“It was great to have the opportunity to speak with kids that showed so much interest in learning about bridges,” said Pennoni Associate Engineer Jim Quigley, PE. "Introducing students to the engineering field at such a young and inquisitive age seems to have really sparked an interest in some of them and it was really nice to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with them.”
Throughout their bridge design course, the students created models made of spaghetti and marshmallows, researched different bridge types, and worked with the West Point Bridge Design software. During Mr. Quigley’s presentation, they had many great questions ranging from the new material types that are being used in bridges, to questions about the design process. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session that lasted a full half-hour.
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“There is a lot of press these days about how the country needs more engineers and students interested in math and science,” said Sharp Elementary School Librarian Kim Laskey. “I have a feeling that Jim’s visit may have inspired some of our students to head down that path.”
