Kelly Vaden, Alexander Velasco and Vicky Zhou watch their winning bridge snap with this year's record 56 kilos. At left, Michael Karweit, who teaches their introductory engineering course, applauds their achievement. PHOTO BY HIPS/JAY VANRENSSELAER

By Phil Sneiderman
Homewood

A team that included a visiting student from Tulane University won first place honors in the Whiting School of Engineering's 12th annual Spaghetti Bridge Contest, held recently in Homewood's Glass Pavilion.

The winning bridge, dubbed "Velasco's Fiasco," was built by freshmen Alexander Velasco, Vicky Zhou and Kelly Vaden. Velasco, who is from Maracaibo, Venezuela, enrolled as a mechanical engineering major this fall at Tulane University in New Orleans and was forced to evacuate when Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. His grandmother, who lives in Baltimore, encouraged him to continue his studies at Johns Hopkins, which opened its classes to some displaced students until their home schools reopen. Velasco plans to return to Tulane for the spring term. His team's bridge held 56 kilos of net weight (about 123 lbs.) before it snapped.

Altogether, students in the introductory course called What is Engineering? entered 14 bridges, made only of spaghetti and glue. During the judging, increments of weight were gradually added to a platform suspended from the middle of each bridge until the structure snapped. Its score was the greatest amount of weight the bridge carried before the collapse. Students whose bridges could hold at least 10 kilograms (about 22 lbs.) were excused from the final exam, and 12 of the 14 bridges met the criterion this year. The winning team received a $100 prize.

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