The “I Got Busted” themed 12th annual Bridge Building Championhip took place in Bowling Green on March 10 with 49 bridges being entered into the high school competition.

The championship, which was sponsored by the Brims Science Museum and Stupp Bridge Company, involved students designing a bridge with a specific length, width, height and mass. The bridges were to hold as much load as possible. This was Russellville's first year to enter the event.

The three RHS students did well, with Elizabeth Corbin's bridge coming in 20th with an efficiency of 432, Nikki Koller's was 30th with an efficiency of 193 and Owen Townsend's was 37th with an efficiency of 94.

To calculate what the bridge would hold, the mass of the load was divided by the mass of the bridge and efficiency was calculated. A five-gallon bucket was hooked to the bridge and sand was poured into the bucket until the bridge broke or sagged to a certain extent. The winning bridge, from a Butler County student, had an efficiency of 2800.

The RHS students' bridges received complimentary statements on construction and craftsmanship from Greg Mills, a WKU engineering professor. He also gave the team reasons why the bridges failed and tips for next year.

Other schools that competed in the event were Butler County, Warren Central, Green River, Metcalfe County, Barren County, Old Union and Warren East.