A group of Marquette students were able to "bridge" the divide between classroom learning and real-world experience this winter break on a trip to Guatemala.

Current and former students joined a Milwaukee church group to travel to Rio Grande Pachilip, Guatemala, to construct a bridge designed by 2004 College of Engineering alumnus Rob Merkel.

"It was my fourth trip so I knew what to expect, but it was special since it was my senior design project," Merkel said.

Merkel and his senior design team constructed a vehicular bridge to aid the residents of Rio Grande Pachilip because the village is isolated from the east and west during the rainy season.

"The village is completely cut off from the market during the rainy season which runs from June through October," Merkel said. "The river swells and there is no way to get across."

Merkel and the other trip participants worked on-site for eight days from Jan. 5 to 12. He received notice on Jan. 22 that the bridge was completed.

While machinery was available for excavation, the group participated in its share of manual labor.

"We assembled forms for concrete," said James Ritter, a senior in the College of Engineering. "We cut, tied and bent rebar (a material that is added to concrete in order to re-enforce it), and we mixed and poured the concrete."

Daniel Zitomer, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, organized the trip for the Marquette participants. Zitomer has been involved in the trips for six years.

He emphasized the benefits the bridge will provide the village.

"Because of this bridge, the village will now have access to electricity because trucks can access the village in order to provide those services," he said. "Educational levels will increase because a teacher can now cross the river during the rainy season to come teach. Health care opportunities will increase because people can now cross the river to get to hospitals or free clinics."

Zitomer believes the trip was a great chance for students to integrate the Marquette ideal of service with their education.

"It is important hands-on experience for engineering students to design and construct something themselves," he said. "I think it is important to tie engineering with service. Since we're at a Jesuit school, we're expected to be men and women for others. Also, it's a great way to experience another culture."

Ritter had a twofold motivation for going on the trip. He was able to participate in construction-orientated service, and he was able to survey the site where he will build another bridge next year as part of his senior design project.

"We really connected with the village we worked in," Ritter said. "It was interesting to be able to see how much the bridge is going to benefit the villagers. They expressed heartfelt thanks."

Another trip participant expressed pride in the group's accomplishment.

"It was great experiencing another culture and being able to use our engineering skills to help people," said Laura Bienash, a College of Engineering senior.

Bienash was able to take a side trip to El Salvador where this semester, she will design a community meeting shelter.

Merkel said he appreciated how the real-world experience enhanced what he learned in the classroom for four years.

"It was a transformative experience," he said. "I learned a lot of things on the trip that I would never have learned in a classroom."

Merkel said villagers he met on last year's trip were back to help in the actual construction of the bridge and were happy to see the students return.

"The reception of the local people was amazing," he said. "The mayor of the village invited us to dinner to express his gratitude."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 1 2005.