Over 200 Middle School and High School age students participated in the third annual Math and Engineering Day sponsored by the Drumright Regional Center for the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics at Central Technology Center in Drumright on Thursday, Feb. 24th.

The students from ten area high schools and the OSSM Regional Center competed in five different math contests and a bridge design engineering project. The bridge design teams, of one to three students each, were challenged to build a 24 inch bridge from manila file folders and glue. The math contest areas included Middle School Math, Algebra I and II, Advanced Math and Geometry.

The bridge design teams constructed their bridges of the paper manila file folders to specifications set forth by school officials that demonstrated the innovative thinking of the youths. Designs ranged from simple rolled tubes of the heavy paper, with extensions at each end, to elaborate suspension bridges and several super heavy "cross member" designs that resembled many of the old railroad bridges often seen in rural America.

Each bridge was load tested with measured weights until the point of collapse. Judging was based on the ratio between the weight of the bridge and the amount of weight required to bring about collapse of the structure.

The Math and Engineering Day is designed to challenge students to make practical applications of the math and science principles they are learning in school and to expose them the opportunities that await them in the Engineering Technology class at Central Tech and the OSSM Regional Center at the Drumright campus.

Winners in Thursday's meet included:

Odai Abdelkhaleq, Oilton; Sarah Sharp, Lone Star; Julia Bartlett, Bristow, first through third place in Middle School Math;

Zach Eldredge, Bristow; Christian Villalva, Cleveland ; Shelby Graham, Lone Star, first through third place Algebra I;

Michael O'Dell, Prue; Clinton East, Kellyville; Alex Speir, Bristow, first through third place in Algebra II;

Cody Martin, Bristow; Garrett McCaskey, Kellyville; Adam Westoff, Kellyville, first through third place in Geometry;

Brent Wickman, Prue; Kevin Symcox, Bristow; Christina Parnell, Oilton, first through third place in Advanced Math;

C.J. Simon, Kyle Klaus, Chris Tusler, Oak Grove School's team, won first place winner in Middle School Bridges;