A bridge to understanding

University civil engineering junior Rachel Gaulke displayed the 1:200-scale model of the former I-35W bridge she built for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Parts on the five-foot-long model were hand painted according to their roles in bearing weight, and the project took Gaulke—a self-proclaimed perfectionist—more than 100 hours to complete. The model is being shipped to Washington this week, where the NTSB will use it for various presentations to help explain information related to the collapse.