2019 Design Challenges | Translating Engineering Research K-8

2019 Design Challenges Available

A document containing a brief description of the TEK8 program and all the facilitator’s guides and the student handouts for all of the 2019 design challenges is available here. The guides and videos are also available by clicking on each design challenge in the table below.

Title	Description	Engineering Area
Action Actuators	Build actuators to pick up objects that are stuck in mazes.	Mechanical Engineering
Can Computers Learn?	Determine the right combination of weights and bias for a neural network to predict the weather.	Computer Science Engineering
Chilly Batteries	Design a flow pattern to allow the cells in a battery to be cooled equally. .	Electrical Engineering
Current Bridge	Build a bridge in order to allow marbles (current) to flow and close the circuit of a flood sensor to alert people that flooding could soon happen	Electrical Engineering
Deployable Design	Design a deployable structure with the largest possible difference between its stowed and deployed states capable of being transported safely to its final home where it can be fully expanded.	Mechanical Engineering
Design or Treat	Design an app interface that allows trick-or-treaters and parents to navigate the neighborhood easily.	Human Factors Engineering
DNA Origami Polymerization	Create polymerizing strands using the materials provided to connect two ‘DNA” hinges together.	Biomedical Engineering
Friction Stir Welding	Repair a leaking container with a limited amount of time and materials to hold all the “nuclear waste” in.	Mechanical Engineering
Game Day Line Up	Design a parking lot layout within the given criteria and constraints.	Transportation Engineering
Heat Shield	Create a thin but rigid wall, aka the heat shield, to block heat from passing through.	Mechanical Engineering
Neural Network Sorting	Build a model of a neural network to sort data.	Computer Science Engineering
Pit Repair	Design a process for repairing pits caused by corrosion.	Mechanical Engineering
Producing Polymers	Create a strong, flexible “polymer composite” by combining multiple materials	Materials Science Engineering
Wireless Fidelity	Create a new WIFI password encoder to securely send a message to our facilitator.	Computer Science Engineering
World Wide Polymers	Create a buoy by combining two different materials in order to come up with the properties that a buoy possesses.	Materials Science Engineering