Our Student Chapter
A small group of senior Civil Engineering students at Portland State undertake the 6-month bridge design process as their Capstone project each December. A 6-person build team is then democratically selected from our student chapter to complete construction of the bridge the following summer. This year’s selected project is the El Trentino Bridge near Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Thi
s experience provides us not only the opportunity to put years of study into practice, but to develop professional skills and a better understanding of the world at large (or at least a remote corner of it). The structure of university student chapters allows students to undertake the majority of the work, with both a Faculty Advisor and Technical Mentor providing guidance to ensure project quality and success. Finances
Of the $20,000 required to make our bridge a reality, our student chapter is responsible for $7,000. We have dedicated a ‘FirstGiver’ account to receive and track donations, and to allow our donors to track our financial progress. Our immediate priority is raising the required bridge cost of $7,000. However, in order for a build team to travel to the site, B2P has estimated an additional cost of $1500 per student. While members of the build team take personal responsibility for these expenses, we are only college students and need your help to access this incredible experience! Financial aid will not be made available to our travel team until the $7,000 construction cost of the bridge has been entirely funded.
