A team from Susquehanna Valley's Richard T. Stank Middle School earned third place in their division at the second annual Engineering Day, October 20, at Broome-Tioga BOCES.
A collaboration between BT-BOCES and the Eastern Southern Tier STEM Hub, with help from SUNY Broome, the event brought together approximately 140 students from area school districts for a fun and educational day of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) competition.
The event was conducted in the gymnasium on BOCES’ main campus at 435 Glenwood Road, Binghamton.
Teams of students compete to create the best functional ‘Rube Goldberg machine’ using only a set of everyday materials provided for the project. The teams are given approximately three hours to design and assemble the machine. They are given no advance knowledge of the materials to be used in the competition.
This hands-on project requires students to use not only their academic skills, such as science and math, but also interpersonal skills such as time management and teamwork. The event provides an enjoyable atmosphere for students who thrive on friendly competition.
In the Middle School division, the Richard T. Stank Middle School team of Gwynne Payne, Kyle Coddington, Nate Twitchell and Nick Layman secured third place! Winning groups receive medals as well the bragging rights among the competing schools.
Contributing to the success of the event are many volunteers, including SUNY Broome students who help with judging, and several teachers from Broome-Tioga BOCES who spend the day setting up, organizing and disbursing materials, and cleaning up after the competition. Area news media gave the event extensive coverage: