The Ralph Salvucci Online Bridge Competition will provide you with an opportunity to:
We also hope you will have some fun pitting your problem-solving skills against those of other virtual bridge designers throughout the Commonwealth.
The Ralph Salvucci Competition is temporarily on hold as the program is redeveloped into an app.
The contest is on hold for this year, but the software can still be downloaded for PC and MAC. Note that there is not yet an app for this, so web driven devices such as Chromebooks, iPads, etc. cannot run the program. We are working to make this happen. As there are becoming fewer and fewer students that can run the program at home, we felt the playing field was uneven, which is against our core mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
After December 31, go to http://35.196.193.126:8000/contest/register/
2. How do I submit my design?
Go to http://35.196.193.126:8000/contest/bridge/ to upload your bridge. You will need to register your team name before uploading your design. (See question 1)
3. Our school internet does not allow access to the registration website. What do we do?
Try uploading from home. Alternatively, please email rsobcoordinator@gmail.com with your team name, team member names (first and last), school, teacher, student contact email, teacher contact email. Bridge designs can also be emailed to this address. You do not need to register before starting your design.
4.4. Can I run the program on my Chromebook?
Unfortunately, the program is only compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.
Not a day goes by I don’t think about Ralph. I remember the first time I met him. It was the summer between my Junior and Senior years of college and I was working at Barnes & Jarnis. I remember just watching him inspect wondering what he was staring at for so long: why doesn’t he just write down that it’s rusty and we’ll call it a day? Never. We packed up way before the sun, got breakfast (The Day and Night, The Miss Florence, The Agawam, The Four Sisters – ahhhh…) and hit the first bridge with the first golden rays. Ralph wouldn’t just explain what he saw, he’d tell you why the bridge was having these problems, how it could have been avoided, and what should be done about it. Ralph, once a marine, had a dedication level towards his work to be envied. He loved going to the bridges: every one he dove into like he’d never seen a bridge before. And always with that Ralph sense of humor. He could have me laughing my gut out all day long. Well, hang around him for a while and you become like him, discussing the condition of a deck joint so deep you cruise right past exit 2 on the pike west (not a good thing, believe me). Inspect all day, write all night. And when you found a real problem with a bridge there was no rest to be found anywhere, and even more, we didn’t want to rest. Ralph taught me to love what I do. It’s never just a job.
Well, Ralph isn’t with us anymore. He died on an inspection along I-93 in Charlestown a little while back. I may not be able to pick up the phone and hear him ask me “Hey, how’s you face?” but he is not gone. He lives in all of us that he helped make better people, and in every bridge in this fine Commonwealth, in our thoughts, and in this contest.
Poompaloona.
- Reed Brockman
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If you have issues logging in or have additional questions regarding registration, please contact us at 617/227-5551 or bscesreg@engineers.org.
Supported by the staff of The Engineering Center Education Trust