Clarkdale students build virtual bridges
By By Stacey Hancock/The Meridian Star
Dec. 1, 2000
Mississippi Department of Transportation officials and teachers at Clarkdale Attendance Center have come together to give students interested in civil engineering some hands-on experience.
MDOT engineers developed a computer program, which focuses on road and bridge problems, for use in math and science classes.
The students will also be introduced to engineers in the community who use math and science every day to build and maintain state roads.
The students in Amy Wright's class at Clarkdale use TRAC exercises to understanding how math and science relate to engineering. Each month, Cleveland visits the classroom to check on the progress students have made in a computer-simulated bridge-building project.
Ninth-grader Emily Howard agrees.
Clarkdale is one of only two schools in the state participating in the program.
Stacey Hancock is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at shancock@themeridianstar.com.