Building Bridges Between Nemesis and the Community

On October 14th and 15th, Nemesis hosted Engineering Day, an event where middle school students with an interest in STEM and engineering could participate in an engaging team-building activity that put their building skills to the test. Engineering Day served as an excellent introduction to STEM, fostering an environment that encouraged kids to unleash their creativity while developing collaboration and communication skills.

The day commenced with a presentation that provided the aspiring student engineers with insights and tips for the upcoming challenge. This presentation featured a larger-scale version of the activity, helping students relate it to their own challenge and generate ideas. The challenge itself was to construct a bridge capable of bearing the maximum weight without collapsing, all while adhering to specific material constraints. As they embarked on this task, the students applied the knowledge they had gained. In the final stage, the bridges were placed between two tables, and a bucket was attached to each bridge. Students loaded weights onto the bridge until it eventually gave way. The winner would be determined by the ratio of the bridge's mass to the amount of weight it could support.

The students were divided into teams, with each group paired with two Nemesis members who mentored them throughout the engineering challenge. Initially, many groups encountered difficulties related to communication and brainstorming ideas for their bridges. However, their mentors were always on hand to provide guidance. Rather than giving away all the answers, they gently nudged the students in the right direction, encouraging them to utilize their creativity and innovation to collaborate and build the best possible bridge. Even when their ideas didn't work exactly as planned, the mentors continued to motivate them not to give up.

After each group completed their bridge and collected the necessary data, they had the opportunity to operate Jynx, Nemesis's 2023 competition robot. Many students expressed their excitement, as this was an entirely new experience for them. Allowing the students to control a robot was an engaging, hands-on experience.

In conclusion, Engineering Day proved to be a tremendous success, and hopefully this will inspire many future Nemesis members and budding engineers.