Skip to main content

Strong response for ARTBA’s student infrastructure video competition

A very strong response has been seen for the 3rd Annual Student Transportation Video Contest run by the Washington, DC-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Illinois high school and University of Maryland college students took top honours in this national video contest on America’s transportation network. The association received more than 40 entries this year in two categories. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest aims to raise awareness about
October 14, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A very strong response has been seen for the 3rd Annual Student Transportation Video Contest run by the Washington, DC-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Illinois high school and University of Maryland college students took top honours in this national video contest on America’s transportation network. The association received more than 40 entries this year in two categories. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest aims to raise awareness about transportation infrastructure issues among younger generations by challenging students to develop a brief video exploring various topics relating to America’s transportation network.  Students are able to choose their own subject matter, with most focusing on how transportation infrastructure is built and paid for, the impacts of traffic congestion, transportation and urban development plans, and the public’s perception of transportation development. Submissions were reviewed by a panel of ARTBA members and the winning entries were shown last month during the association’s National Convention in Milwaukee.

Christian Surtz, a sophomore at Marmion Academy in Batavia, Ill., and Tom Rogers, an undergraduate at University of Maryland University College, are the top winners and will each receive a US$500 cash prize. First place in category I, for elementary, middle or high school students was the film; By the Numbers: Bridges in the United States. This was made by Christian Surz, a high school sophomore who studies broadcast and electronic communication arts. Surtz developed a creative and informative four-minute video highlighting the need to repair many of America’s more than 600,000 bridges. He combined alarming statistics with interesting visuals to make a compelling case for the importance of bridges to our economy and daily life.  As the narrator, Surtz explains how and why bridges are classified as structurally deficient includes a visit to a structurally deficient bridge in Illinois to drive home the message.

Second place was awarded to the film A Country in Motion, by Alexander Zemaitis of the Capital Area School for the Arts in New Cumberland, PA. Third Place was presented to the film Bridges: Why America Must Invest Now, by Alice and David Navadeh of North Allegheny Intermediate High School in Wexford, PA.

Related Content

  • ARTBA’s yearly video competition
    February 7, 2020
    The third ARTBA video contest winner was Ryan Song.
  • ARTBA women leader awards 2013 nominations sought
    April 9, 2013
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) Women Leaders in Transportation Design and Construction (WLTDC) Council is now accepting nominations for its annual awards programme. The programme honours what ARTBA describes as the “extraordinary efforts of individuals, companies and public agencies that have demonstrated leadership and dedication to innovation in the transportation construction field as well as the promotion of women leaders within the industry”. The 2013 awards programme
  • ITS America and SWRI announce student essay competition
    April 20, 2012
    ITS America and Southwest Research Institute are once again sponsoring the Annual Student Essay Competition for the 2012 ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition, which is being held in Washington D.C. on 21-23 May, 2012. Designed to encourage student interest and future participation in the development of ITS and solutions, the objective of the essay competition is to provide an opportunity for today’s transportation and engineering students to apply their knowledge in a thought-provoking and enjoyable c
  • ARTBA highlights US bridge issues
    May 10, 2016
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is calling for more bridge repairs in the US. There are still too many structurally deficient bridges in the country according to a recent analysis. This report states that while there were 2,574 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2015 compared to the number in 2014, there are still 58,500 on the structurally deficient list. Worse still, at the current pace of bridge investment it will take at least 21 years before these bridges are all r