Pasta Tower CHALLENGE
winners announced
YOUR CHALLENGE IS:
USE SPAGHETTI AND MINI MARSHMALLOWS TO BUILD THE TALLEST TOWER
Challenge Closed
K-12 CHALLENGE
Using 50 pieces of Spaghetti and 30 mini marshmallows, build the tallest free-standing tower you can. Submit photos of your tower (6 max), include one photo showing its height. Also include a text description of your design. Be sure to review the CONTEST RULES and DESIGN GUIDELINES for all challenge details, including the privacy requirements: NO FACES OR NAMES in your submission. Take your awesomeness to new heights... and good luck!DATES / JUDGING CRITERIA / PRIZES
You have to play by the rules to win.
WHO CAN ENTER
Individuals or Teams of up to 4 Students
All teammates must be in the same judging category
All teammates must be in the same judging category
Grades K-12 Students
In the United States
In the United States
JUDGING CRITERIA
Grades K-12
Grades K-12
Grades K-12
40
POINTS
Height of your Pasta Tower (On a scale of 0 = Floor to 40 = Celing)
40
POINTS
Creativity of Your Pasta Tower Design
20
POINTS
Communication of your Design
HOW TO ENTER
Please review the Challenge Rules and Design Guidelines prior to creating your entry.
Challenge Rules Design Guidelines
Challenge Rules Design Guidelines
TEACHERS
Sign up to register your class and manage entries. We now support Google Classroom too!
STUDENTS
Sign up on your own, or use a code to participate with your class.
STUDENT USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM?
Login to Submit
STUDENT & TEACHER SIGN UP
Sign up to register your class and manage entries. We now support Google Classroom too!
STUDENTS
Sign up on your own, or use a code to participate with your class.
STUDENT USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM?
Login to Submit
STUDENT & TEACHER SIGN UP
PROGRAM DATES
Challenge Launch
15
March
Entries Close
11
July
Semifinalists Announced
07
August
Finalists Announced
13
August
Winners Announced
20
August
Challenge Launch
15
March
Entries Close
11
July
Semifinalists Announced
07
August
Finalists Announced
13
August
Winners Announced
20
August
PRIZES
Grades K-12
GRAND PRIZE:
- Huge Tower Game
FINALIST PRIZES:
- Silly Pasta Spoon
SEMIFINALIST PRIZES:
- Future Engineers T-Shirt
Dive Into The Challenge
Lesson Plan Details and Challenge Tips!
1. Links & Lessons
Learn the Engineering Design Process2. Digital Tools
Learn to edit photos3. Brainstorm & Design
Discover the properties of your materials4. Build & Iterate
Build your pasta tower
Links & Lessons
Digital Tools
Brainstorm & Design
Build & Iterate
Links & Lessons
>
Links & Lessons
Digital Tools
Brainstorm & Design
Build & Iterate
LEARN ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Engineering Design Process is a series of steps engineers use to solve a problem. Often times, the problem involves designing a product (ex. structure, machine or computer code) that meets specific criteria. Students will learn/review the engineering design process.
Links & Lessons
Videos
Brainstorm & Design
It's brainstorm time! Students will explore the properties of spaghetti and marshmallows to supersize their free-standing towers.
Educator tools
Brainstorming Idea
SPAGHETTI PROPERTIES
What properties does pasta have that could be useful in your build? What makes it buckle, flex or snap? If you hold the spaghetti vertical, how does it deal with a load above it? If you place it horizontal, how does it deal with a load above it? How can you make it stronger?
Brainstorming Idea
MARSHMALLOW PROPERTIES
What properties do mini marshmallows have that could be useful in your build? Will you use your mini marshmallows as structural nodes? Do you want to split them? Mush them? Stretch them?
Digital Tools
Take your photos to the next level by using photo editing tools.
Native Tools
Microsoft Photo offers free, basic photo editing software for PC users.
iPhoto is free for Mac users and is a powerful beginner photo editing tool.
Google photos has simple photo editing capabilities and is free for Android or iOS users.
WeVideo is a cloud-based photo/video editor that is included in the Creative Apps bundle for Chromebooks which may have been pre-purchased by a school with their chromebooks.
Build & Iterate
It’s build time! Students will build, evaluate and refine their pasta tower.
FOR THE CLASSROOM
Group Size
Max 4 Students per TeamApproach
Build pasta towerMaterial
50 Pieces of Uncooked Spaghetti, 30 Mini MarshmallowsEducator tools
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Future Engineers hosts online innovation challenges for K-12 students. In 2014, Future Engineers launched its inaugural 3D printing in space challenge, sponsored by the ASME Foundation with technical assistance from NASA, which produced historic achievements including the first student-designed 3D print in space. Based on that success, and through the support of the U.S. Department of Education's SBIR Program, Future Engineers launched a multi-challenge platform in 2018 capable of hosting STEAM challenges of all kinds. All challenges are free for student/classroom participation.
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