By CHARLES IYOHO, Marshall News Messenger

Students at Texas State Technical College-Marshall recently put their knowledge of computer-aided drafting to the test.

Dawn Cunningham, Texas State Technical College CAD instructor, said the students drafted designs of a simulated bridge, utilizing Computer Aided Design technology. The students then physically constructed the model bridges, made out of balsa wood.

The event was part of "Build 'em and Bust 'em," a school project which seeks to help prepare the students for work in their industries of interest.

"What brings the engineer and the contractor together is the drafter - the person that puts it on paper," said Ms. Cunningham. "They sort of take the engineer's idea" and "put it on paper for the contractor to be able to construct what it is that they put together."

Ms. Cunningham said the students spent about 30 minutes searching and scanning a variety of designs online before delving into their projects.

The rules were that the students had to construct a bridge that was at least 50 to 75 millimeters in width and 100 millimeters in height. The bridge also had to be 250 to 300 millimeters long and contain only 15 sticks of balsa wood. Students were given a bottle of glue to hold it together.

Ms. Cunningham said the winning design was dependent on how much weight the bridge could sustain. She said the first place design held a total of 91.8 pounds and the second and third place designs both were able to sustain 54.8 pounds. The winning student was given a $25 Wal-Mart gift card. There were a total of 15 students who participated.

Ms. Cunningham, who graduated from TSTC in the summer 2005 and worked for an engineering company in Longview for four years, said students next will construct a house.

"Our students should come out of this class with a realistic understanding of what they're doing, its value and the rigors of the working day world," said George H. Richardson, executive assistant to the TSTC President.