Yesterday was the second meeting for the schematics team. A lot of good progress was made. We just did another Solidworks tutorial but this time they focused on a specific tool or feature, like rotation or lofting. These features are very useful as I used them myself last year. Hopefully, they’ll be able to spot a situation in which these tools will simplify the design process and they’ll be able to use them accordingly. Our next meeting is next week. Also in a few weeks there is a general meeting for the whole club so stay tuned for updates.
Mechanical Engineering 
I’m slightly confused- this appears to be the transition to the main chord from the abutment and the abutment leg. Will these be fabricated from solid stock to better distribute the PSIs?
I’m not quite sure what part of the bridge you’re talking about. However, most members will be made of hollow tube pieces 1/8″ thick. The only solid pieces will be the hangers that connect the arch members to the chords. All of the members will be connected by welding 1/8th” think plates to the ends with holes for bolts. This year the rules allow for nuts to be welded to connections so this allows us to connect members different then how we would from previous years. Hope that answers you question.