PROVO, Utah -- About 33 BYU students made a Book of Mormon story a reality Friday at the second annual Nephi's Steel Bow Competition.

These students designed, made and shot off steel bows, experiencing for themselves the difficulties of the ancient American prophet Nephi in making an effective bow out of metal.

"Steel is a lousy material to be designed with," said Anton Bowden, a BYU professor in biomechanical engineering and creator of the competition. "So when I read that Nephi made a bow out of steel, I wondered how that would really perform."

Many students put in weeks researching, designing and producing bows to test that question.

"The first thing I did when I heard about the competition was to go to the library to read books about archery and steel," said Lewiston, Idaho, native Ezekiel Merriam, a junior in the mechanical engineering program. "I spent hours designing and grinding it down to the right shape."

Merriam's efforts paid off, as his bow dominated in the overall distance challenge at 66 yards.

"I was really pleased with how my bow performed, and I already have some things planned to change for next year," Merriam said.

The bows in the competition varied greatly in terms of design and mechanics.

"Talula," the bow that won the Best Engineering Design Award, was fitted up by freshman Walter Coe with a wide assortment of springs and alternating bars," while Tommy Hyatt's nonsteel bow "Black Magic" bore a much simpler design.

The quality of Nephi's bow was judged by its ability to bring home the bacon. The bows in this competition were held to a different standard.

Throwing out terms like the L-cube factor for stiffness, three engineering professors judged the bows for their ability to store and release energy, while still maintaining their structural integrity.

The real value of the competition rested in the opportunity for the students to get out of the classroom and put their knowledge to the test, said mechanical engineering professor Larry Howell.

"If you do the calculations wrong in a class, you'll get a D," he said. "Here, you see the effects of what's going wrong. And you'd rather then learn that here than when they are designing your plane or bridge."

For Addison Eldridge, a junior from Portland, Ore., there were additional benefits in participating.

"We didn't have to find the ore and beat it into steel," he said. "I appreciate now how much different it would be to work without prepared materials. It makes me think of how in the Bible it all worked out."

Bowden said this competition shows the benefits that come from actively thinking about the reality of the scriptures.

"If this can be implemented, then other lessons can also be useful."

E-mail: ldschapina@gmail.com