Monday, September 23, 2013

The UI student chapter of Bridges to Prosperity won the Team of the Year Award at the inaugural Bridge Builder Conference September 20-22 in Sevierville, TN.

Engineering alumnus Ethan Gingerich (BS 2013 civil engineering) also received Bridge Builder of the Year Award.

The conference is a three-day, hands-on educational gathering for future bridge builders, taught by Bridges to Prosperity's staff and professional technical board members. Departing from theoretical lectures, participants will leave with the skills and knowledge to build footbridges in remote communities around the world. More than 100 attended the inaugural conference.

Attending from the UI were Louie Hardin, Katie Langenfeld, Ian Nessler, Ethan Gingerich, Quinn McNutt, Natalie Jones, and Carl Beranek. Also are the conference were civil engineering alumni Avery Bang, executive director of Bridges to Prosperity and Thomas Bang, Bridges to Prosperity staff engineer.

Bridges to Prosperity provides isolated communities with access to essential health care, education and economic opportunities by building footbridges over impassable rivers.