SLU Students Compete in a Battle of the Bridges
11/15/2024
School of Science and Engineering Innovation Challenge Featured 15 Teams of Students
School of Science and Engineering students construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape during the SSE Innovation Challenge with industry partner TWM on Wednesday, Nov.13, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Saint Louis University students in the School of Science and Engineering tested their engineering skills in a timed innovation challenge building bridges out of cardboard tubes and duct tape.
School of Science and Engineering students construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape during the SSE Innovation Challenge with industry partner TWM on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Fifteen teams of students competed in the event on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The challenge was won by a team comprised of Jaisri Akaram, Bharath Bandlamudi, Jahnavi Uppugandla and Abhilash Kurapati.
School of Science and Engineering students construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape during the SSE Innovation Challenge with industry partner TWM on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Each team of three or more students was given eight cardboard tubes, a roll of duct tape and one hour to complete their bridge. The completed structures were judged on design, use of tape and the ability to bear weight. Each bridge was lifted onto Lego stands, taped down to keep it in place and loaded down with 203 pounds of sand.
School of Science and Engineering students construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape during the SSE Innovation Challenge with industry partner TWM on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
SLU’s School for Science and Engineering holds a monthly innovation challenge for students. November’s challenge was sponsored by TWM Inc., an engineering firm providing civil and structural engineering and geospatial services to both public and private sector clients in the Midwest and Southeast. TWM provided the challenge materials and led the judging.

School of Science and Engineering students construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape during the SSE Innovation Challenge with industry partner TWM on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Latest Newslink
- SLU Joins NASA-Funded Consortium to Advance Sustainable Space Life Support SystemsSaint Louis University has joined a NASA-funded consortium to develop a closed-loop biological system that can convert human waste into useful materials for in-space biomanufacturing. The innovations will help build self-sustaining ecosystems for future space missions.
- SLU’s William L. Clay, Sr. Institute of Civic Engagement and Economic Justice Seeks to Educate, Engage, and Empower Next Generation of LeadersThe William L. Clay, Sr. Institute of Civic Engagement and Economic Justice at Saint Louis University, launched in the summer of 2025 with a legacy investment from the William L. Clay Scholarship & Research Fund, provides immersive learning experiences and hands-on training that address the social and economic challenges facing the St. Louis region and the nation.
- New SLU, SSM Study Shows Ozempic Could Help Dialysis Patients Qualify for Kidney TransplantsObesity is one of the biggest barriers preventing patients with end-stage kidney disease from receiving a life-saving kidney transplant. New research from Saint Louis University School of Medicine and SSM Health physicians reveals that breakthrough weight loss medications could change that -- giving more patients a second chance at life.
- John F. Cross, Ph.D.: 1932-2025John F. Cross, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology, died Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. He was 93. Cross was a long-time professor at Saint Louis University as well as an alum, having earned his doctorate from SLU in 1964.
- Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship to Honor 2025 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame InducteesThe Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University will hold its 2025 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame induction ceremony at a dinner on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.
- Gorlewicz Honored With 40 Under 40 RecognitionJenna Gorlewicz, Ph.D., who holds the Eugene Kranz Professorship for Excellence in Research in the School of Science and Engineering at Saint Louis University, has been chosen as one of the St. Louis Business Journal's 40 Under 40.









