On Friday, February 21, Mr. Pat Marshall took three teams of students, 16 kids total, to College of Dupage in order to compete in the annual Engineering Olympiad event. The students participated in a series of challenges and brain teasers to test their overall knowledge of engineering and its applications. The first challenge was to build a bridge out of popsicle sticks. Students received points for both how structurally stable and how visually modern the bridge was. The bridges were then put to the test by attaching weights to them to see how much they could hold. The second challenge was to build a mousetrap car. The car had to be cranked up and propelled by the mechanics of the mousetrap. Points were awarded based on how far the cars rolled. The last challenge was to build a Rube Goldburg machine. The ultimate task of the machine was to squirt the toothpaste out of a tube. Benet did very well; our teams placed 3rd, 6th, and 16th out of the 40 schools that were competing. 

Despite their excellent performance, the students at this competition are not engineering prodiges. There is absolutely no prior experience or knowledge necessary to sign up for this competition. The only requirements are an interest in engineering and a desire to learn more about the field. The event is run by real engineering students and professors at the College of Dupage. They do a wonderful job explaining the different types of engineering and giving all the interested students information about possible engineering careers. 

If you are someone who likes science, enjoys solving puzzles, or thinks that they might want to pursue engineering in college, this is an event for you! Look out for emails about the next engineering event or ask Mr. Marshall for more information.