Engineering Students Compete in STEM Wars

High school students in the design and engineering class put their problem-solving skills to the test by designing and racing cardboard boats in the natatorium as part of the annual STEM Wars competition.

Using only cardboard and duct tape to secure the seams, students worked in teams to design their boats with SolidWorks, a widely used computer-aided design and engineering program. They used the software to create 3D models, simulate real-world performance, and refine their plans before construction.
“It was really fun to see our design on the computer before building it in real life,” says ninth-grader Adina Gordon.

She and her teammates – ninth graders Raya Magence and Rebecca Fishbach, along with 10th grader Tamar Klein – applied principles of structural integrity, ratios and scaling, and surface area to maximize their boat’s stability and speed. “We decided to stuff cardboard into our boat like a sponge to absorb water,” explains Rebecca.

The strategy worked. “Our boat was very successful,” says Raya. “We ended up getting second place.”

Beyond the boat races, students design and build CO2 dragsters, mousetrap cars, and suspension bridges to compete in other STEM Wars challenges. “This is always a fun time of year,” says design and engineering teacher Brian Hill. “I love watching students’ minds work as they develop creative solutions to attack these problem- solving activities.”