That line comes from an old joke about an elderly couple who are both hard-of-hearing. The old man is telling the old woman how it's amazing that they had been together so long and through so much. Finally the husband says rather tenderly to his wife, "I'm proud of you, Ma." To which she responds testily, "I'm tired of you too, Pa."Well, actually I'm really, really proud of my husband. He and his teammates designed a steel bridge which James rendered in 3D on the computer and then presented to a couple of boards of Engineering students and professors for review. In competition to four other bridges designed by classmates, his bridge was chosen to represent UAA in a regional competition in Oregon next Spring! For that competition, a 20 foot long model of the bridge will actually have to be built in front of judges. Yay, James! All of that hard work and perseverance really payed off (he got a nice grade on it too!). Here are some amazing pictures of the bridge below:
This last image really demonstrates the amount of detail that went into each componant. I personally watched James design the threads in the giant screws that hold it all together.
All of this means, of course, that what was "just" a semester project for steel class will demand a lot more time, attention, and money than has been invested in it even thus far. Thankfully, though, this is one of those projects that will "give back" in experience, learning, and exposure both of him to the world of engineering and the engineering world to him. I will be sure to keep you apprised of further developments. Next Spring, he will be on a team that will design a concrete canoe . . .
Note: I couldn't resist including the bridge at the top when I saw the Russian lettering on it. I thought it said, "Christ Rose" with an X, but then I realized it probably is aK so it says something like, "Peasant Raised." It's funny how those two very different statements can look so much alike at first glance!
