Organizers of the inaugural Popsicle stick bridge-building contest, held on the Coast last March, are gearing up for a bigger and better event this year.
This year, through the support and generosity of sponsors, the new Sunshine Coast Festival of Science and Technology has been created.
In addition to traditional bridges, some suspension bridges will be built. Participants will display and compete with models they build in school or at home.
To get prepared for the contest, there will be a series of informative video presentations of about 30 minutes each as well as a bridge building workshop. All activities will be held at the Sechelt Seniors' Centre and are free and open to the public.
The first event is set for Saturday, Feb. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is a workshop presented by engineers from Buckland & Taylor Ltd. of North Vancouver and a video presentation entitled Outstanding World Bridges from Ancient to Modern Time. If you plan to build a bridge for the contest, this is a must-attend event.
The next event is Friday, March 9, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and is a pre-registration session for those participants who have created bridges and models for testing and judging the next day.
The next day, March 10, is the big day where starting at 10 a.m. more registration will take place for participants and the bridges and models will be tested by a panel of judges. Participants are asked to pack a lunch as only tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided during the day.
Information about education and careers in science and technology will also be available from various organizations. During the day there will also be three video presentations: History of Interesting Technical Inventions, Canadian Women in Science and Technology and Problems and Challenges Facing Engineers and Scientists of Today and Tomorrow.
The bridge building kits for participants will be available from Gibsons Building Supply stores in Gibsons and Sechelt and Rona in Pender Harbour starting Jan. 30. The $5 cost of the kit will be refunded when you register for testing.
For more information, see: www.apegbc.ca/services/branches/seatosky/popsicle.html.
-Submitted
