Middletown Students Get the Scoop on Engineering

Students from will join students from schools across the state on Friday to get an inside look at the career field of civil engineering.

Nearly 150 high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors will participate in the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center (URITC) 5th Annual Engineering Career Day, held at the university from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day will feature hands-on and classroom activities, in additoin to a bridge building contest, where participants will be judged on the strength and durability of bridges that they built prior to the event.

“For the past five years, we have given students the opportunity to learn more about civil engineering, with workshops specifically designed to provide insight into the many diverse areas of study and design,” Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Michael P. Lewis, one of the program sponsors, said in a release. “This year, we’re also incorporating a bridge building contest to test their abilities in a fun, yet practical manner.”

In addition to the bridge building competition, students will participate in various learning labs led by experts in the field, including: Bridge/Geotechnical; Traffic Engineering and Highway Design; Field Survey/GIS/Asset Management; and Water Resources/Environmental/Hazardous Materials/Drainage.

Along with URITC and RIDOT, sponsors of Engineering Career Day are the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), RI Consulting Engineers (RICE), and the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering.  Sponsors for the Bridge Building Competition include URITC, RIDOT and RICE.