Projects and Rules
-M.E.S.A USA presents its national engineering design competition specifications for the 2011-2012 year. The Wind Energy Challenge event involves the transfer of energy from the wind source to the defined tasks.The maximum amount of energy available to complete the task will be limited to that provided by the defined commercial fan and the task time constants. High school and middle school teams selected to participate at the national event will compete in the four components (Performance, Technical Paper,Academic Display, Oral Presentation)
-Teams will build a low-cost Prosthetic Arm for Laila, a functional 12-year old girl living in Afghanistan who has had her arm amputated below the elbow. The device should be designed to maintain complex modern prosthetic. The device must meet the criteria outlined in the rules.
Civil Structures (11th-12th)
-Design and construct a model balsawood bridge from their own plans that will carry a maximum load while using as little wood as possible, stressing neatness, craftsmanship, and creativity.
Mouse Trap Car:Accuracy (9th-10th)
-Students will design and build their own vehicle which must be solely powered by a standard "Victor" mousetrap and will stop closest to a specified target. Kits are not allowed. Project must be the original work of the student. Judges may ask questions for verification.
Mouse Trap Car:Power (11th-12th)
-Students will design and build their own vehicle which must be solely powered by a standard "Victor" mousetrap and will travel up a 30 degree incline; Kits are not allowed. Project must be the original work of the student. Judges may ask questions for verification.
EggXpress (9th-10th) (11th-12th)
-Students will design and construct a container of restricted size, which will keep as many eggs as possible from breaking after a fall from a height to be determined by the Host Center. The package should be designed in a way to maximize BOTH the number of total eggs in the package and the percentage of eggs which survive the impact of the collision with the ground. Commercial containers are allowed. Project must be the original work of the student Judge may ask questions of student for verification.
Model Science - The Human Brain (9th-10th)
-Students will construct an original display and model of a bisected human head and will answer questions drawn from an assigned list using reading material provided in the MESA Day curriculum.
Manila Mechanics (9th-10th)
-Design and construct a model bridge from two manila file folders that will carry a maximum load while using as little materials as possible. Efficient design, neatness and craftsmanship are essential elements of this engineering activity.
Glider Plane (9th-10th)
-Design and build a glider made of balsawood, which will be launched outdoors using a hand-held catapult provided by host center. The goal of the contest is to keep the glider aloft for the longest period of time.
Airplane (11th-12th)
-Design and build a rubber band-powered model airplane made predominately of balsawood which may be covered with tissue paper or similar material. which will be hand-launched outdoors. The goal of the contest is to keep the model aloft for the longest period of time.
Robotic Arm (11th-12th)
-Design and build an original robotic arm to grab, lift and pour a 50ml graduated cylinder filled with 50ml of sand into a standard coffee mug. Students will also create a display board that includes a synopsis, scaled plan rendering, and a materials table.
Speak Out (9th-10th)
-Students will work as a team to choose a topic from the official presentation topic options. Team members will prepare and deliver a short oral presentation that clearly expresses their collective ideas. The competition is designed to encourage teamwork. The visual materials will reinforce the team's points. All team members will participate in the organization, preparation, and delivery of presentation.
Speak Easy (11th-12th)
-Students will randomly choose one official topic prior to speaking. Students will think about and deliver short, focused, impromptu oral presentations.
Web Design Competition (9th-12th)
-This is a skill-based Contest. The object of this Contest is to recognize the best website designs from among select educational organizations that communicates a vision of the future and utilizes the Microsoft Expression suite of software tools. For purposes of this contest, each "website" you create will be called an "entry". All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the winners of the prizes described below.