All in-coming civil engineering freshmen take an Introduction to Engineering course (ENGR 101) that is taught by a civil engineering professor who is their advisor. Students are assigned to two person teams and design, build, and test a balsa bridge. The goal of this project is to use the least amount of material to withhold the maximum amount of weight. The force equilibrium component of engineering statics is covered in class as well as an overview of truss design. The completed bridges are tested on the department’s MTS testing machine. Freshmen students are engaged in engineering design to provide them a high quality, personalized educational experience in engineering.