Tech ChallengeEngineering Design Program

2009 - Explore the Volcano

2008WaterWorks

Tech Challenge - Key Facts

• Focus: Design competition that solves real life problems– Student version of Tech Awards

• 3 divisions (grades 5-12): Elementary, Middle and High School– More than 12,000 students have participated

• Team activity: teams of 2-6 people; average = 4• $40 registration fee / team; waived for Title 1/after school programs• Solutions can be very low-cost with easily accessible materials • Many awards given: Best Solution to Most Spectacular Failure• All participants get a free membership to The Tech

Who Participates?

Any young person in the 5th to 12th grades:School classroomsHome schoolsAfter school programs Student clubsChurch clubsCamp programsCommunity centersNeighborhood friends

Teachers, parents, older brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, mentors …Each team must have an adult advisor

Why Should Kids Participate?

To learn life skills:

Collaboration and teamwork

Innovation and creativity

Troubleshooting and problem-solving

Managing trial and error; self confidence

Documenting a creative process

Oral presentation skills

Focus: Building something for a specific need

Science and math can be fun and practical

Why Should Teachers Incorporate Tech Challenge Into the Classroom?

• The Tech’s educational programs and museum experiences support the California science curriculum and STEM standards.

• Explore the Volcano provides months of science and math learning in the areas of:– Physical Sciences– Earth Sciences– Physics– History/Social Science– Oral Presentation and Communication– Investigation and Experimentation

• Perfect complement to a teacher’s science education curriculum • TC web site will offer related lesson plans

2121stst Tech Tech Challenge - 2008

• Real life problem: 1 in 5 people on the planet don’t have access to safe drinking water

• 925 student participants: 66% male, 34% female

• 230 Teams: 71 High Schools & 159 Middle Schools; 25 “Title One” teams

• Geographic reach: 9 local counties & New York (web cast)

• 16 corporate sponsors

• Skills learned: Creative problem solving, trial & error, teamwork, written & oral presentation

2009 Tech Challenge:

Why --- real life problem:

There are 1500 active volcanoes; 20 are erupting at any given time.

One out of 10 people live in areas threatened by volcanoes. 30K people have died from eruptions in the last 50 years.

Scientists use remotely-operated devices to gather data and learn about volcanoes, without risking life. (Jet Propulsion Lab)

Design a flying device to transport a sensor – the “payload” – to the top or inside rim of a volcano.

How Teams are Evaluated

• Device performance• Documentation of the design process; and • Style and presentation

Participant Experience

“The coolest thing has got to be our documentation…We worked almost as hard … to make the scrapbook. Since our device was a total disaster, we found it made us feel better to be able to express our feelings through writing.” - The Dust Bunnies

“The fact that a lot of the tests didn’t go as we planned only added to the coolism. If our tests had worked on the first try, it would have been boring. We had to learn how to assemble pieces we’d never used before.” - Tech Baninis

“When I was working on the Tech Challenge, the coolest thing I did was learn to think outside the box … if we did something very similar to another group, they would get mad. One of our goals was to think of something no one else would, and we succeeded.” - Paige Marig

Tech Challenge Goals

Make Tech Challenge a year-round program

Grow from 230 teams to 500 teams; 900 to 2,000 kids

Increase participation from other areas

Increase participation of:GirlsAfrican AmericansHispanicsAmerican IndiansTitle 1 schools/teamsAfter school programs and clubs

Increase presence & programs in MuseumTech Challenge Gallery opening in 2010-2011

Sponsor Involvement

• Tech Challenge Costs $600K / Year– Presenting Sponsor: $100K– Lead Sponsor: $75K– Principal Sponsor: $50K– Supporting Sponsor: $25K– Friend Sponsor: $10K– Admission Fee Sponsor: $20,000

• 500 teams @ $40/ea. – Sponsor a team or multiple teams

• Registration fee + cost of materials– Sponsor a Title 1 school or multiple Title 1 teams– Be a volunteer: info clinics, workshops, trial day, event day– Be a team advisor– Be a judge

Northrop Grumman

Volunteer Opportunities

• Advisors/Mentors (average time spent is 4 hours/week over 13 weeks)– Guide a team through its problem solving process

• Events in advance of Tech Challenge 2009: Information Clinic, Test Trials, Workshops (average time spent 2-4 hours per event)– Greeter– Registration– Crowd Control– Assist students with tools/materials

• Competition Day (various shifts available)– Greeter– Registration– Judging– Traffic Flow– Guest Information

Corporate Sponsors

Your Reward