Alumnus reminisces about the Arch on its golden anniversary

September 28, 2015 by
Jack Wright, a 1961 graduate, helped ensure quality control throughout the Gateway Arch project, which is celebrating its golden anniversary. Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

Jack Wright, a 1961 graduate, helped ensure quality control throughout the Gateway Arch project, which is celebrating its golden anniversary. Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

Jack Wright‘s first big job after college was in many ways monumental.

As an engineer for MacDonald Construction, the company that was awarded the contract for construction of the Gateway Arch in March 1962, Wright played an important role in creating the “Gateway to the West,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The 630-foot-tall Arch is made up of 142 double-walled triangular sections that are covered in quarter-inch-thick stainless steel. The keystone triangular section that connects the north and south legs was put into place on Oct. 28, 1965. It opened to the public in June 1967. [Read more…]

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Building a bridge of the future

February 11, 2014 by
Graduate students (from left) Alex Griffin, Eli Hernandez and Hayder Alghazali took part in all phases of the design and construction of a new highway bridge that uses new longer-lasting concrete beams developed at Missouri S&T. Photo by Terry Barner.

From left, graduate student Alex Griffin and Ph.D. candidates Eli Hernandez and Hayder Alghazali work with professor John J. Myers on the design and construction of a new highway bridge that uses new longer-lasting concrete beams developed at Missouri S&T. Photos by Terry Barner.

Watch the video with John J. Myers:

The Highway 50 corridor that connects Jefferson City, Mo., to Union, Mo., will get upgraded into four lanes by spring 2014, but it’s a new and improved three-span bridge that’s capturing all the attention.

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Engineering … with a twist

July 5, 2013 by
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Wesley Hackett could be considered a sort of Rubik’s Cube connoisseur. Photo by B.A. Rupert


Wesley Hackett knows a good problem when he sees it. And he loves problems. Perhaps that explains why he’s a huge fan of the Rubik’s Cube, the iconic 3-D puzzle from the 1980s. In fact, he has at least five different models of the twisting object, from the simple 2×2 Mini Cube to a V-Cube 7 that has more than 200 pieces.

[Read more…]

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