A team of five students from the University of Macau (UM) took home second prize in the national bridge design contest for university students called “Mao Yisheng Public Welfare Bridge – Little Bridge Project”, being the best among participating universities from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and overseas, according to a statement on Thursday from the higher education institution.
The statement noted that the contest’s wide coverage and influence has turned it into “one of the most prestigious competitions” in the civil and transportation engineering field in the mainland. Its judging panel featured Chinese Academy of Engineering members and industry experts, among others, with the competition requiring teams to submit a proposal that included design descriptions, bridge design drawings, calculations, practical information, and sand table models, the statement said.
The UM team comprised students Gui Piao, Niu Mengkai, Wong Man Iok, Rong Wanjun, and Guan Yuxiang, all of whom are from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) and the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things (IoT) for Smart City, according to the statement. They competed against 91 teams from 47 universities including Tsinghua University and Tongji University.
The team, under the guidance of Prof Yan Wangji and Prof Lam Chi Chiu, presented a proposal for a steel arch bridge resembling the Golden Lotus, a sculpture gifted by the central government to Macau, the statement said, and considered factors such as innovation and cost-effectiveness.
A detailed modelling and computational analysis were then conducted, blending innovative elements associated with smart cities, energy efficiency, and environmental protection, according to the statement. The design received positive feedback from experts during the contest’s final round.
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) shows winning team members Wong Man Iok (from left), Niu Mengkai, Gui Piao, Rong Wanjun and Guan Yuxiang posing with their award. The caption provided by UM did not say where the photo was taken.
