Upcoming Programs

By coy | December 24, 2008
Program 9 TBD Bringing Down the Glasgow Bridge
Program 10 TBD TBD
 
Each program will be offered live via videoconferences and Internet web streaming.
 
  1. To enroll as a videoconference school for face-to face interaction with the program’s experts, contact roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us or call (314) 773-6934.
  2. Those joining via web stream and videoconference can e-mail their questions during the program to roundtrips@clayton.k12.mo.us.
To help prepare your students for the program, you’ll find more about the Glasgow Bridge Project at http://www.modot.mo.gov/northcentral/glasgowbridgeproject.htm.

 

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October 16 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

By coy | November 10, 2009

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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October 9: Project MO Bridge: Bringing Down the Glasgow Bridge

By coy | September 16, 2009

Due to heavy rains and threat of severe flooding at the location site, we must cancel the videoconference “Bringing Down the Glasgow Bridge.” We were looking forward to joining you and your students from the blasting site in Rolla, Missouri and apologize for any inconvenience this change in schedule causes you.

We are planning to reschedule the program later this Fall and will let you know of that new date when it is determined. We look forward to connecting on future programs. I will also be sending an individual e-mail to each group in case your district’s spam filters prevent e-mails to multiple addresses. Please let me know when you receive this e-mail or the other.

Thanks so much. See you at another program in the future.

Join us on October 9 for the ninth of ten online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips.

Date: October 9, 2009
Times: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Grade Levels: 4-12

Join us live on Friday, October 9 from Rolla, and Macon Missouri. Be part of the action as explosives expert Dr. Paul Worsey (Professor of Mining Engineering, Missouri S&T) and engineers Dennis Brucks and Brian Haeffner from Missouri Department of Transportation walk us through the process of bringing down the Glasgow Bridge.

As part of its continual work to maintain and upgrade Missouri’s roads and bridges the Missouri Department of Transportation determined the need to replace the bridge crossing the Missouri River at Glasgow, Missouri. That new bridge is now set to open on October 16, but before that new bridge could be built, the old bridge needed to be removed to make way for construction of a new span connecting route 240 across the Missouri River. In this program your students will interact with the engineers Dennis Brucks and Brian Haeffner who will give us technical aspects of the destruction and rebuilding of the bridge. Ask your questions about what it takes to safely destroy one bridge so you can begin to build another. See video excerpts of the bridge coming down, and explosives demonstrations by Dr. Paul Worsey.

This program is the ninth of an ongoing series of ten programs that began during the 2008-2009 school year. During this series of programs entitled Project MO-Bridge: Connecting Students to Their Future, your students will be able to learn what it takes to build a new bridge—from dream to design to construction to operation. Students will interact with experts in a wide variety of fields and learn how specific aspects of their science, social studies, and mathematics curriculum come to life in the construction of a new bridge.

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May 1: Project MO Bridge: The Great Collaboration

By coy | April 21, 2009

Join us on May 1 for the eighth of ten online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips.
Date: May 1, 2009
Times: 9-9:50 a.m. and 10-10:50 a.m.
Grade Levels: 5-10
How are all the elements of a mammoth construction process like a bridge over the Missouri River brought together? It takes the hard work of a great collaboration of people from diverse careers. Explore the careers of those who work in the bridge construction industry as you interact with the people constructing a new bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo. Find out what it’s like to design a bridge, work with computer software, weld steel girders together, pour concrete, build new bridge piers, operate a crane or run the barge that keeps vehicle traffic flowing while the bridge is closed for construction. Interact with the people who work daily designing and building bridges and ask them your questions.
Join us live from the construction site of the new bridge spanning the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo., for our eighth program in our continuing series of programs produced with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

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Apr 17: Project MO Bridge: Bridge Construction 2: Surface Structure

By coy | April 8, 2009

Join us on April 17 for the seventh of ten online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet MODOT and RoundTrips.

Date:  April 17, 2009
Times: 9-9:50 a.m. and 10-10:50 a.m.
Grade Levels: 5-12

The bridge has been designed, public hearings have been held and funding has been arranged. Construction is well underway with superstructure built for the bridge’s approach ramps and additional superstructure being built over the river itself. Now it is time to begin creating the surface structure. What are the steps in creating the surface structure? What materials are used? How does installation occur? How is it connected to the bridge support structure? What are the careers involved in building a bridge? Interact with construction personnel as they answer these questions and many more on how they are bringing the design plans to life. Join us live from the construction site of the new bridge going over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo.

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Apr 3: Project MO Bridge: Bridge Construction 1: Superstructure

By coy | March 30, 2009

Join us on April 3 for the sixth of ten online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips.

Date:  April 3, 2009
Times: 9-9:50 a.m. and 10-10:50 a.m.
Grade Levels: 5-12

The bridge has been designed, public hearings have been held and funding has been arranged. Now the construction begins in earnest. Join us live from the construction site of the new bridge going over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo. Interact with construction personnel as they share how they are bringing the design plans to life. How is the superstructure for the bridge connected to the bridge piers? What kinds of materials are used? What items are pre-fabricated and what is created on site? What are the careers involved in building a bridge? For the answers to these and other questions, join us for our sixth program in our continuing series of programs produced with the Missouri Department of Transportation as they build a new bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo.

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Mar 13: Project MO Bridge: Bridge Failures: A Look at Stress

By coy | March 9, 2009

Join us on March 13 for the fifth of 10 online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips.

Date: March 13, 2009
Times: 9-9:50 a.m. and 10-10:50 a.m.
Grade Levels: 7-12

On Nov. 7, 1940, in what may be the most dramatic footage of a bridge failure ever caught on film, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington collapsed while being pounded by wind. Luckily no one was injured. On April 5, 1987, after days of record rainfall and floods, the Schoharie Creek Bridge in New York collapsed killing ten people. On Aug. 1, 2007, during the height of rush hour traffic, the I-35W Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, plunging dozens of cars and their occupants into the Mississippi River.

Why do seemingly well-designed bridges suddenly collapse? How do forces, both natural and man-made create stress and cause bridge failure? What’s the science involved in these events?

In this program, your students will interact with engineers and investigate these and other real-life bridge failures. Learn about stress points, important elements in design and maintenance and how natural forces like wind, rain and river flow affect the life of a bridge. Find out what engineers do to counteract those forces and create the best bridge design possible. Join us for our fifth program in our continuing series produced with the Missouri Department of Transportation as they build a new bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo.

For details about the program, including program objectives, its format and agenda, pre-program activities, post-program activities, related curriculum standards, related vocabulary and much more go to http://www.roundtrips.org.

For questions regarding this announcement, contact MOREnet Video Services at video@more.net or (573) 884-6986.

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Mar 6: Project MO Bridge: Design Processes: Looking at the Math

By coy | March 2, 2009

Join us on March 6 for the fourth of ten online, interactive events, presented by MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips.

Date: March 6, 2009
Times: 9-9:55 a.m. and 10-11 a.m.
Grade Levels: 9-12

Imagine a typical day in the office. The boss drops in and says, “The Missouri Department of Transportation has just informed us they have a bridge over the Missouri River that needs replacing. Here are the specs on the location. Put your team together and come up with some preliminary design options we can send them for consideration.” What do you do next?

In this program we will explore the steps engineers take to create the preliminary design plans for a new bridge. Students will interact with engineers to find out how they weigh conflicting conditions, scientific principles and federal regulations to begin the process of designing a bridge.

For details about the program, including program objectives, its format and agenda, pre-program activities, post-program activities, related curriculum standards, related vocabulary and much more go to http://www.roundtrips.org.

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Feb 13: Building the Glasgow Bridge: Engaging the Public

By coy | January 30, 2009

MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips Present:
Building the Glasgow Bridge:  Engaging the Public

Date:  February 13, 2009
Times: 9 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Grade Levels: 7-12
Cost:  No Fee

Replacing an old bridge with a new one involves far more than just destroying one bridge and building another.  Significant attention must be paid to the impact the construction process will have on the life of the people, businesses, and communities near the bridge site on both sides of the river.  How will people get to work?  How will the environment around the bridge site be affected?  What should businesses in the area expect?  What happens if there?s an emergency and residents have to get across the river?  To determine the answers to these questions and more, members of the Missouri Department of Transportation studied a great deal of information when preparing to build a new bridge across the river at Glasgow, Missouri.  But study alone was not enough.  Missouri transportation officials then needed to engage the public to increase understanding of the project and answer people’s questions and concerns about how their lives would be affected by it.  This research and public interaction then resulted in additional decisions made before the construction process began.

For this program, the third of our ten part series developed with the Missouri Department of Transportation as it builds a new bridge across the Missouri River at Glasgow, Missouri, your students will learn about the process of engaging the public on a project of this magnitude.  Students will see how the science and engineering of bridge construction combine with civic responsibility as they interact with transportation officials at a Public Engagement Meeting. Students will be asked to take on the perspective of a member of the public to develop their questions in advance of the program and ask those questions during the videoconference.  Students can choose to be a general community member, businessman, farmer, environmental activist, or historic preservationist.  Whichever role they choose to take, what would they want to ask?  What concerns would they have about how the construction process would affect them?  What would they need to know to make sure they?d be ready to deal with the construction process?  For example, if they lived on one side of the river and worked on the other, how would they get to work?  If they were a farmer, how would they get their crops to the grain elevator?  If they are worried about environmental impacts, are there fish or bird species that might be affected by the construction?  As engineers and other transportation officials answer their questions, students will also see how people in these careers engage with the public and deal with public concerns.  Data used by transportation officials as they developed plans for the Glasgow bridge will be provided to your students in advance of the program to help them develop their questions.

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Jan. 30: Why This Bridge Here

By coy | January 21, 2009

MOREnet, MODOT and RoundTrips Present:
Why This Bridge Here

Date:  January 30, 2009
Times: 10 to 10:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. to Noon
Grade Levels: 4-8
Cost:  No Fee

Have you ever noticed there are all sorts of different shapes to bridges that span rivers, gorges and highways? Have you ever wondered “why did they build that kind of bridge here?” This program is designed to help you and your students answer that question. We’ll explore basic bridge shapes such as arch, beam, suspension and cable-stayed. We’ll look at the forces of tension, compression, torsion, bending and shear that act on those bridge shapes. We’ll investigate how the purpose of the bridge, its geographic location and the materials used in its construction also help determine its final design.

This is the second of our ten part series developed with the Missouri Department of Transportation as it builds a new bridge across the Missouri River at Glasgow, Mo. Students will see examples of different types of bridges and engage in discussion and activities with engineers who design and build bridges. We’ll look at examples of bridges from around the world and the specifics of the new bridge being built at Glasgow.

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