Engineering and Science Challenge

More on the engineering and science challenge…

There were 9 activities and all of them were designed to provide students with a fun learning experience. Here is a brief overview of all of the activities:

Job Juggle: this activity was designed to provide organisational skills and required logic from the students. The students had to organise a project that was set up by an imaginary boss. To do the project each team was given a planning board, task blocks and instructions. And like in a real situation, they had to keep the boss, artists and production staff all happy; requiring the teams to be resourceful.

Mission to Mars: for this activity each time was required to create a buggy that is suitable to travel on the surface of Mars. The teams had to consider things such as the surface on which the buggy would be travelling and hence the number of wheels and their position. Each team had to get their buggy as far as possible without losing any cargo.

Back to the Future: each team is required to create a vehicle to help two scientists/time travellers return to their time. The vehicle is required to travel at 88km/h using wind power and electricity. Other things the students need to consider are the number of blades, their shape and size.

Catapult: the students were required to built a catapult to replace the ‘archers’. The catapults are required to throw tennis balls a distance of 12 and 25 meters. The students have to attempt to also be accurate.

Crypto Cracking Cronies: each team is required to break a number of encrypted messages to discover how some ‘hackers’ broke into a computer system. The teams have to identify the main types of encryption systems and how they are distinguished.

ElectraCITY: each team is required to design an upgrade to an existing power network so that the ‘city’ can stop having black outs. The cost effectiveness has to be balanced against the power distribution system.

Escape from the Lost World: each team is given some balsa, tape and other materials to build a aircraft with. Things that had to be considered were trim, displacement and location of ht engines. After each team built their airships they had to negotiate them through a course.

Gold Fever: each team is required to build a bridge that is light enough to construct and lift into place but has to hold a very heavy weight. The bridge also has to be rigid enough to support the laden trolley without sagging.

Hover Frenzy: the teams were required to build hovercrafts that were required to complete a quite difficult obstacle course that requires dodging and climbing. Each craft had to be controlled as good as possible.

On a whole it was a great week of challenges and all the students had a blast...especially since they got the day off school! :-)