The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in partnership with St. Vincent College’s Education
Department is pleased to announce a new competition for students in grades 4-8. The STEM
Design Challenge encourages students to work as a 4-person team to answer a challenge. This
year’s challenge is:
Teams are challenged to create an environmentally friendly people mover. This vehicle
must be able to travel at least 4 feet across the table and must overcome at least one obstacle
(hill, curves, landforms, etc.). Obstacles are to be chosen and designed by the team. When
making the presentation teams should be able to respond to how their vehicle is
environmentally friendly, discuss how many people could fit in their people mover and
describe their obstacle and how their vehicle will overcome it.
Teams will have from now until April 8, 2014 to create a project using K’Nex, answer narrative
questions, create a blueprint and produce a short presentation (max 2 minutes).
Teachers are invited to attend a 3-hour workshop that will include how to use K’Nex in the
classroom and information about the competition and the challenge that students will need
to solve. The workshop will be coordinated and taught by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and
Thermo Fisher Scientific.
This workshop is scheduled for January 27, 2014 and will run from 8:30-11:30. Registration
for this is available at:
http://bit.ly/HD22B5
Attached please find the guidelines for the 2014 challenge as well as the rubric that will be used by
the judges at the competition.
The top 2 teams in each division (grades 4-5 and grades 6-8) across the state will be invited
to compete in a state competition at Harrisburg University on Friday, May 2, 2014.
Teams will need to provide their own K’Nex, however, K’Nex is offering a special kit for
participating teams. More information can be found at
http://www.knex.com/Shop/product.php?productid=17768.
Education Department
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION
What:
STEM Design Challenge
When:
April 8, 2014
Where:
Fred M. Rogers Center
St. Vincent College
Latrobe, PA 15650
Who:
Students in Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-8
Cost:
$50.00 per team. This cost is a materials fee that covers the
table space for the competition and lunch.
Due to spacing accommodations, each district has the option of sending 2 teams to
participate. If you wish for your district to participate, then the IU must receive your
registration by Friday, November 22. After this time, registration will be open to all
districts who wish to send additional teams. This will be on a first come, first serve
basis until registration for the challenge reaches its maximum number (43 teams).
The maximum number has been determined by the spacing accommodations.
2014 Challenge
Teams are challenged to create an environmentally friendly people mover. This vehicle must
be able to travel at least 4 feet across the table and must overcome at least one obstacle (hill,
curves, landforms, etc.). Obstacles are to be chosen and designed by the team. When
making the presentation teams should be able to respond to how their vehicle is
environmentally friendly, discuss how many people could fit in their people mover and
describe their obstacle and how their vehicle will overcome it.
Rules:
 A team of 4 students will work together on the project.
 Only K’Nex kits and motors may be used. Each team may use up to 1400 K’Nex pieces.
 Schools must bring their K’Nex kits and motors on the day of the competition.
 Each structure must use at least one motor.
 Students will have 2 hours to put together their project at the competition.
 No pieces may be brought to the competition already joined.
 Each team will need to bring the narrative form and a blueprint to the competition with
them.
 Each team will need to prepare a presentation (max 2 minutes) on their model and how they
answered the challenge.
Judging Criteria:
 Creativity
 Teamwork
 Challenge Success
 Design
 Presentation
Awards:
 Awards will be given to top three teams in grades 4-5 and grades 6-8
 Top 2 teams in each division will advance to the state competition
Education Department
Narrative Report Form
Student Names:_____________________________________________________________
School:____________________________________________________________________
Project Name: ______________________________________________________________
1. Please describe the process the team used to come up with a solution. What roles did each
member have while coming up with the solution?
2. What types of issues arose while working on the project? Did creating a blueprint help with
the creation of your model?
3. Did you use any other resources or models to help your team come up with a solution? If so,
please elaborate. If not, please mark Not Applicable
4. Please list any other comments that you would like to judges to know while judging your
project.
Registration Form
Grades: 4-5
Grades: 6-8
District: ______________________________________________________________________
School Building: ________________________________________________________________
School Address: ________________________________________________________________
School Advisor’s Name: __________________________________________________________
School Advisor’s E-Mail Address: __________________________________________________
School Advisor’s Phone Number: __________________________________________________
Participating Students’ Names:
1. _____________________________________________________
2.
_____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________
The $50.00 cost is a materials fee that covers the table space for the competition and lunch
expenses. The WIU will invoice your districts this fee after the competition. Completion of this
registration form is a commitment of payment.
Please fax completed registration forms to Rachel Barner at 724-836-4235 by November 22,
2013. After this time, registration will be open to all districts who wish to send additional
teams. This will be on a first come, first serve basis until registration for the challenge
reaches its maximum number of 43 teams.