SUNY Canton Places second at Steel Bridge Competition

CANTON, N.Y. (WWTI) – After a year of demonstrating engineering prowess, the SUNY Canton’s American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter placed second at the Upstate Regional American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition, held recently at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

The SUNY Canton team placed second overall, with first going to the University at Buffalo team. The students also took second place for construction speed and economy. Historically, the team was ranked in the top slots during their initial showing.

SUNY Canton Associate Professor Adrienne C. Rygel, Ph.D., who serves as the team’s faculty advisor, said the students’ hard work and dedication have helped continue the team’s tradition of success. “ We are immensely proud of our team’s achievements ,” Rygel said. “ Their exceptional performance in such a competitive environment speaks volumes about their talent and commitment .”

The competition, which included universities from Upstate New York and Canada, allowed the SUNY Canton Steel Bridge Team to compete against Cornell University, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology and RPI, among others.

“ I’m beyond amazed at how our students maintain exceptional rankings when pitted against much larger universities ,” said Canino School of Engineering Technology Dean Michael J. Newtown. “ It represents the multi-semester culmination of hard work and exemplary teamwork .”

Tying in with the educational component of the overall design and construction of a competition, students take a Steel Bridge Design class taught by Associate Professor Saeid Haji Ghasemali.

Miqueas Guerrero of Yonkers, Logan S. McCargar of West Stockholm, and Mathew Greene of Waddington collaborated closely to design a bridge that met the requirements of the task, according to faculty members on the team. Greene learned to weld specifically for the bridge over the past two years. “ Mathew Greene’s meticulous craftsmanship played a pivotal role in the team’s success ,” said Neil A. Haney, an Instructional Support Technician who assists the team with technical considerations.

The build and load team, consisting Greene, Nathan A. St. Louis of Morrisonville, George H. Staats of Essex, and Mitch W. Timerman of La Fargeville, demonstrated remarkable efficiency, contributing greatly to the overall success of the team.

Corning’s Dominic E. Hauptman represented the team at the National Mead Paper Competition with a presentation on integrating artificial intelligence into civil engineering, earning praise from the panel of judges. Hauptman joined Raiden J. Hansen of Fulton, Ronald J. Wood-Terrance of Bombay, Owen J. Thompson of Ogdensburg, and other team officers in playing vital roles in organizational tasks, including preparing ASCE’s annual report. Other members of the Steel Bridge team include Natasha A. Wray of Gouverneur, Jad M. Karoum of Ogdensburg, and Chandradat (Vick) Rampat of Norfolk, Va.

In addition to Rygel and Haney, faculty and staff advisors include Instructional Support Associates Andrew L. Reiter, Cortney F. Rookey and Assistant Professor Aksel Seitllari.

The Steel Bridge team is currently working on their AISC National Competition at Louisiana Tech University, where they aim to build on their regional win and showcase their engineering prowess among the top tech schools in the US.

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