Civil engineering students in Tri-State University professor Dr. Doug Schmucker’s classes participated in a public open house in Angola Jan. 22. The open house consisted of public discussion on downtown revitalization.

Twelve TSU students joined approximately 30 local residents in discussing the topics of sustainability, business development, traffic infrastructure, and real estate in relation to the development of downtown Angola.

The students’ attendance satisfied requirements for a theme Schmucker developed for his classes this year: “Infrastructure Crisis in the U.S.” The theme sprang from incidents such as the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis over the past year.

Last semester’s activities complementing the theme included the concrete Frisbee project developed by students in CE 334 Materials Engineering, and the file folder bridge project undertaken by students in ES 213 Statics.

In the Frisbee project, students created a small concrete disc designed to resist a 40-foot drop from the top of Best Hall, and stay intact during a discus-style throw. In the ES 213 class, students explored the behavior of the I-35W bridge and then designed, constructed, and tested a realistic model of that style bridge. A  video of the bridge project can be viewed at www.tristate.edu/bridge, with Team 7’s effort a good example of the learning project, Schmucker said.

“The city’s consultants, as well as Angola officials, were exceptionally pleased with the student participation, as both groups noted to me afterward,” Schmucker said.