STEM Design Challenge featuring K'Nex
The 2024 Challenge
Pennsylvania agriculture contributes $132.5 billion to our state economy annually and supports more than 593,600 jobs, paying wages of $32.8 billion. Did you know that farmers use robots to help them? “High-tech Farming” is important especially as our population grows and food demand increases. Your team is being challenged to help our Pennsylvania farmers by creating an agricultural robot or other type of “high-tech farming” equipment that they could use.
Challenge Info:
The STEM Design Challenge is a competition for students in grades 4-8 where they build a project out of K’Nex pieces. Teams in grades 4-5 and grades 6-8 will only be able to use only K’Nex pieces.
The competition this year will be in person at the California University Convocation Center South Wing. There is a team limit at the current moment, no more than two teams per grade level (4th-5th and 6th-8th) per school. If you have more than two teams, please complete the form again until you have registered all teams.
Teams will have from November 2023 to March 20, 2024 to design and build their projects. We invite you to save the date for the IU1's Regional Competition for the STEM Design Challenge featuring K'Nex on March 20, 2024 at the PennWest California's Convocation Center from 9AM - 1PM.
Rules:
A team of 2-4 students will work together on the project.
Students must create their prototype using K’Nex including at least 1 motor.
Each team will need to create and submit a design notebook and a blueprint.
Each team will need to prepare a presentation (max 2 minutes) on their model and how they answered the challenge.
Location:
PennWest California Convocation Center, South Wing
All teams are asked to be dropped off in the front of the building to unload their materials.
Parking is available for all attendants in the designated parking areas, parking passes will be issued for the event. Please review the California University Campus map for more details.
Unfortunately, parents may NOT attend this event but students are welcome to take pictures and record with their advisor/teachers permission.
Notebook
Note books can be a word document, a Google Document, or placed into a Google Site etc.
They must be typed no written note books will be accepted.
This should be a journal of the team’s progress from start to finish.
The Notebook should include elements of the Engineering Design Process
Blueprints
Blueprints can be photographs of the building process, a power point with images, a 3D rendering, or a drawing.
A blueprint is a technical drawing or design plan for a project. It is used to represent the final product.
Prototype
Teams will answer the challenge by creating a prototype of their idea.
Teams will answer the challenge by creating a prototype of their idea. K’Nex pieces must be used including at least 1 motor.
Teams may include a backdrop or artwork but judges will not consider this in their scoring.
Presentation
Each presentation will be 2 minutes or less. Every student on the team should present.
Judges may ask questions of the team after the presentation.
If presenting with technology (i.e. Google Slides, cloud based, etc.) please have a copy saved to your desktop in the event of connection issues.
Contact:
Sarah D'Urzo | IU1 Coordinator for Innovation & Design | sarah.durzo@iu1.org