“12… 13… 14… aww!”
The Styrofoam, straw and rubber band tower collapsed under the strain of 14 Reese’s candies, sending a group of five girls from St. Roberts into a giggle fit.
The tally of 14 was only good enough to earn second place in the tower-building contest.
“So close!” said one student in anguish.
“So what did we learn about engineering from this?” asked Rena Becker, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering recruiter.
“It’s hard,” exclaimed one boy.
More than 250 eager and rambunctious fifth- and sixth-graders from four Omaha and Lincoln area schools packed the Nebraska Union’s Centennial Room for the College of Engineering’s Discover Engineering Day Wednesday.
Started in 2001 as a way to introduce middle school students and their teachers to the various fields in engineering, Discover Engineering Day was filled with hands-on activities that apply math, science and creative thinking skills.
The 2 1/2-hour program gave students the opportunity to build bridges, towers and fountains and learn about radio frequencies and oxidation.
Alainna G., a sixth-grader from Columbus Middle School in Columbus, Neb., said she enjoyed not having to listen to teachers all day.
Her group won the bridge-building contest with their project, which held 12 batteries.
The bridge building contest was her favorite.
“We won,” Alainna said. “That’s why it was best.”
Alainna’s teacher Joni Ebel said this is the first time she took her class to the event. She was thrilled to see her students engage in creative thinking and zany ideas.
“They love it because it’s hands on,” Ebel said. “Plus, you drag food into it, and you’ve got them hooked.”
Robert Brauer, a senior biological systems engineering major at UNL helped with the edible bridges activity.
Students used pretzels, graham crackers, pasta, caramels and marshmallows to build a bridge in competition to see which would hold the most batteries before breaking.
He said students were asking smart questions and were very attentive and interested for middle-schoolers.
“We didn’t have this opportunity when I was in middle school,” Brauer said. “I got into engineering because I was good at math – these kids get to be into it because they’ve had these hands-on experiences.”
The discovery day was successful, with the largest attendance ever and a lot of competition between students, Becker said.
The college will hold a similar event for seventh- and eight-graders Oct. 20 and 22. Becker said it will be similar to yesterday’s event, but will have some more difficult challenges, like a robot-building station.
Ebel said she thought the day was a great idea and will think about bringing future classes too.
“It was a good chance to build their horizons,” she said. “I think they really embraced what engineering is like today.”
jordanpascale@dailynebraskan.com
