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Student Leader Nick Worden

Nick Worden
President, UW Steel Bridge Team
Senior, Bachelor’s Degree Program

How long have you been involved with the organization?
This is my third year on the team.

What do you enjoy most about being in a leadership position? 
I see Steel Bridge Team as a commitment to bettering the university community. Being a leader in this organization helps me to develop the next generation of civil engineers in a real and impactful way. That’s what I enjoy most about it.

How many hours a week do you spend working with the organization?
It ranges, 8-20 hours per week depending on what needs to get done.

What are your goals for the organization for this academic year?
I want the UW Steel Bridge Team to go onto the national competition for the first time in over a decade.

Can you briefly describe what the group/organization does?
In order to develop the next generation of engineers, students need a chance to practice skills they learn in the classroom. Such engineers are better equipped to make progress in the world, and the UW Steel Bridge Team provides such an outlet for growth. That’s why I joined, and that’s what our team is all about.

Over the course of the next year, my team will design and build a 20-foot-long steel bridge culminating in a competition against other regional universities. Students are responsible for a complete project, from initial concept to final presentation. Our design phase starts the year with brainstorming and modeling. During our construction phase, we cut, grind, and weld steel to shape our bridge. At our regional competition our bridge is evaluated on a number of categories including aesthetics, lightness, stiffness, and assembly time. The three best of 17 move on to the national competition.

How many members are there?
25-30 people.

What is your favorite part of being part of the organization?
My favorite part about being a leader in this organization is helping people through the same struggles I faced in the club as an underclassman. Watching people grow in the team is what brings me the most joy.

Has the organization overcome any challenges?
I think the biggest challenge our organization faces is space constraints. We’ve mitigated this by exploring other spaces around the university to complete our project.

What area of civil & environmental engineering most interests you?
Structural engineering.

What do you hope to do after graduation?
I plan to go to law school. I studied engineering during my undergraduate because I wanted to challenge myself. From the moment I stepped into my first course at the UW, I already had a conception that law school was where I was headed. I also knew that law school was incredibly rigorous. I wanted to study a major that would complement that rigor while also giving me a new perspective.