Last week, New York Tech Mechanical Engineering students earned first place and a $500 prize at the 2026 KEEN Bridge Design Competition for their outstanding bridge design and structural efficiency.

The challenge required teams to construct a 36-inch bridge using only cardstock (80–110 lb cover) and standard 1/4-inch staples, with no additional materials. Each bridge had to meet a strict maximum weight limit of 200 grams (approximately 10 sheets of 8.5” × 11” cardstock and 500 staples) placing a premium on careful engineering and thoughtful design.

Rising to the challenge, the New York Tech team built a bridge weighing just 107.2 grams (0.236 pounds) while supporting a load of 1,997.5 grams (4.404 pounds), achieving a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio of 18.6. The competition featured teams from 17 universities nationwide, including Carnegie Mellon University (2nd place), University of Northwestern–St. Paul, Virginia Military Institute, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, University of Washington, and James Madison University.

In preparation, the students spent time over winter break in Dr. Wei Zeng’s Computational Mechanics and Biomechanics Lab, conducting in-depth research on the mechanical behavior of cardstock and optimizing staple connections. By applying principles of girder and arch design, they maximized performance while remaining under the weight limit.

“Their success highlights both the students’ creativity and New York Tech’s focus on hands-on, application-driven engineering education,” said Professor Xun Yu, Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. “It’s an impressive demonstration of ingenuity, precision, and real-world problem-solving under constraints.”

Team Members and Advisor:

Advisor: Dr. Wei Zeng

Students: Daniel Boshnack, Johnathan Covello, Donald Reed, Aditya Shakya

This achievement underscores New York Tech’s commitment to preparing industry-ready engineers capable of tackling complex challenges with innovation, technical skill, and teamwork.