Pennsbury Students Get First Place At STEAM Design Challenge

April 10, 2019

Provided by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit:

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit, in-line with ongoing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education efforts, coordinated and hosted the Bucks County regional STEM Design Challenge.

Two sell-out crowds, of sixty-five teams each, competed on two separate days with elementary students (grades four to five) on March 8 and middle school students (grades six to eight) on March 15. The top team in each division advances to the state competition being held on Friday, May 17 at Harrisburg University in Harrisburg.

This year’s design challenge was to create a machine that would move three objects at least 6 inches across a table. Their “crane” must pick up the object, move it at least 6 inches and then set it back down. The teams had to provide a journal documenting their concepts and plans, as well as a final design blueprint of their proposed solution. Upon arrival at the competition, they needed to then successfully assemble their creation for judging.

The students use K’Nex to build their projects; a building system consists of interlocking plastic rods, connectors, blocks, gears, wheels, and other components, which can be pieced together to form a wide variety of machines and architectural structures. The middle school teams were given the additional task of presenting a budget for their project in which they had to inventory each K’Nex piece they used, with correlating costs and summary, as an overall cost for their project.

This Year’s Bucks County Regional Winners are:

Elementary STEM Design Challenge Winners:

Best Teamwork: Tawanka Elementary School, Neshaminy School District
Most Creative Design: Plumstead Christian School
Most Environmentally Friendly: Holland Elementary School, Council Rock School District Overall 3rd Place: Wrightstown Elementary School, Council Rock School District
Overall 2nd Place: Plumstead Christian School
Overall 1st Place: Makefield Elementary School, Pennsbury School District

Middle School STEM Design Challenge Winners:

- Best Teamwork: Churchville Elementary School, Council Rock School District Most Creative Design: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School
- Most Environmentally Friendly: Belmont Hills Elementary School, Bensalem Township School District Overall 3rd Place: Pennwood Middle School, Pennsbury School District
- Overall 2nd Place: Lenape Middle School, Central Bucks School District