in association with Washington University McKelvey School of Engineering
The Engineering Contest at the Gateway Arch National Park is a unique and very challenging contest that brings local high school engineering teams together at Gateway Arch National Park and the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University to compete for the Richard Bowser Trophy. Richard Bowser famously invented the Gateway Arch’s one-of-a kind Tram conveyance system in an astonishing two weeks. It is in this engineering spirit that the competition was created.
2024 Participants
The contest was created in 2017 by Ron Laue (Senior Assistant Dean; McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University) and Anthony Gilpin (Park Ranger at Gateway Arch National Park) to carry on the fine tradition of engineering the Gateway Arch represents.
The Engineering Contest is unique in that it offers a real engineering problem that exists at the park and allows the students to create a solution. The students get a rare opportunity to solve a real-world problem, and one that will be typical of what engineers are called upon to do in the professional world.
In September, the schools receive the challenge outlining the problem to be solved. Each school gets one visit to see the problem, to measure the area, take photographs, receive blueprints, and the opportunity to ask questions. In mid-November, the teams must send an executive summary of their solution. A week or two before Thanksgiving the schools present their idea to solve the problem with a PowerPoint presentation to three judges (all engineering professionals) who grade the executive summary and presentation on their professionalism and engineering abilities. The scores are announced after the event luncheon, and the winning school takes home the coveted Richard Bowser Trophy which they keep for a year.
The competition final is held on the McKelvey Engineering complex in Whitaker Hall, on Washington University’s beautiful campus. The event features a professional engineer as a speaker, after which the teams present their PowerPoint presentations, a luncheon is served, and the trophy is awarded to the winning team. At the event’s conclusion, all participants, family, and friends have the opportunity for a guided tour of the McKelvey School of Engineering. It is an excellent opportunity for aspiring engineers.
Gateway Arch National Park Engineering Contest 