Allison’s winning Essay is entitled “Learning from Footbridges: Improving Urban Structural Connections.” In carrying out her proposed research, Allison has selected a distribution of footbridges within North America and Europe which “capture variations both in structure and the type of crossing spanned.” Noting that, ” …little to no discussion exists outside the field of urban planning regarding aspects of good design and integration of skybridges and elevated walkways with the surrounding urban fabric, ” Allison will investigate these structures from a structural engineering perspective.