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.
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.
