Each year our MAST students participate in the  American Society of Civil Engineers' Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition, hosted by the University of Southern California. This event brings together over 250 local high school students to participate in a full-day event that cultivates and celebrates the engineering profession.

The annual competition invites more than 63 student teams, professional judges, volunteers, and media to the USC campus. The event is facilitated by the local Younger Member Forum of ASCE and the ASCE USC student chapter, facilitated by the Viterbi School of Engineering and the Civil Engineering Department at USC.

For over 16 years, students from Los Angeles and Orange County areas gather for a full day of engaging activities which take place at various participating college campuses throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Activities include poster competitions, technical reports, students presenting their projects before panels of professional judges, campus tours, impromptu events, and, of course, loading their Popsicle bridge in the material’s lab.

As a participant in this year’s Popsicle Stick Bridge Contest, our team at Milken (four students and one sponsoring teacher) collaborated on/will be working on design and construction of a model bridge made solely from common wooden craft sticks and all-purpose white school glue. The objective is always to build the strongest bridge: one that will hold up to the largest applied load before failure.

Every year, our MAST student teams have ranked consitently high: garnering awards and accolades in these competitions.