BCSA CEO Jonathan Clemens with students Esther Ijeli, Charlotte Chow and Soumya Singh receiving their award from First Minister Eluned Morgan.
A team of Swansea civil engineering students secured first place in a prestigious competition to design and build a bridge entirely made from household recyclable materials.
The competition, organised by the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), judged not only the bridges’ ability to hold the highest number of baked beans cans, but also the innovative materials used.
The winning Swansea bridge held 197 cans of baked beans, the equivalent to 92kg of weight. The team used various recyclable materials, including rolled-up magazines and tin cans, to build the main beam, broken charger cables to tie the beams together, and glass jars, filled with crushed glass, for support either end.
Two other Swansea teams were placed second and third, marking it a clean sweep for the university. All three were invited to the Senedd to celebrate their success with First Minister Eluned Morgan.
Second year student Soumya Singh, who was part of the winning team, said: “Eluned Morgan was excited to hear that we had won as she is the first female First Minister of Wales, and my team was comprised only of women. This felt like a great achievement for us as women in STEM.”
Joining Soumya in the successful team were Esther Ijeli and Charlotte Chow.
During their time at the Senedd the students had the opportunity to learn about the history of Welsh steel before being presented with their award.
Soumya said: “This was a very insightful experience, and we gained various skills such as effective teamwork, sustainable development, time management as well as the confidence to approach problems with creative solutions.”
Esther added: “I was honoured to participate because it was informative and beneficial to my academic goals. The opportunity to learn from my colleagues and the instructor about the difficulties of operating in an occupational setting was extremely inspiring. I truly enjoyed the event.''
The teams were accompanied by Professor Oubay Hassan and Associate Professor Xiaojun Yin, from the Civil Engineering.
Professor Hassan said: “Congratulations to our students for their winning innovative recyclable model bridge. Their dedication, creativity, and deep understanding of structural behaviour truly set them apart. A fantastic achievement in sustainable engineering!"