Student Teams Are in It to Win It in Dean's Undergraduate Challenge

On Saturday, May 18, 150 undergraduate engineering students convened at Kemper Hall at the University of California, Davis, to put their engineering skills to the test in the second annual Engineering Dean's Undergraduate Challenge.

Throughout the day, the students participated in three challenges set up throughout Kemper Hall: building a windsail, solving an escape room and a multi-stage egg drop challenge. The egg drop event, or "Egg-a-thon," comprised two stages, in which students crafted a device that could protect an egg as it bounced down a flight of stairs in the first round and provide enough cushion and gravitational resistance in the second round to comfortably sail off the Kemper second-floor balcony without breaking on impact with the concrete ground. Prior to the day-of, student teams completed a scavenger hunt that took them throughout campus to solve UC Davis-related riddles.

Initiated by Dean Richard Corsi of the College of Engineering, the all-day challenge is part of the Next Level strategic vision for education: a commitment to providing undergraduate students opportunities to participate in hands-on engineering design experiences early in their education.

The challenge also provides an opportunity for students from across different engineering disciplines to come together for a day, to create community and to just have fun. The approximately 40 teams were highly encouraged to enter with creative names: Some of the top-scoring teams included Pothole Patrol, Things That Shouldn't Move But Do, Visioneers and Ghausi Goblins + Bainer Banshee. 

Third-year mechanical engineering student Rowan Glenn, who was on the team "Euler? I hardly know her!" (a reference to Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler), appreciated the opportunity to use their engineering skills in fun and different ways.

"It feels good to stretch the creative parts of my brain," Glenn said. "We don't get to do challenges and projects that are creative in short time frames like these. It's also fun to meet random teams and recognize them from class and have a little fun competition amongst ourselves outside of our normal academic environment."

Graduating senior and mechanical and aerospace engineering major Alex Fillman served as the boots on the ground for Dean Corsi, ensuring his visions of egg-a-thons and escape rooms came to fruition. Fillman collaborated with fellow engineering undergraduate and wind sail challenge planner Esteban Aceves to execute the event.

Fillman's measure of success? Seeing how much fun her peers were having. 

"You have to think outside the box, be a true engineer and problem-solve," she said. "It's so fun. To see the teams' thought processes and everyone truly enjoying themselves is rewarding. It's why I keep doing this."

And for Dean Corsi, it's a day in which he can shuck off the trappings of being dean for a little while and truly engage with engineering students.

"I love teaching, and I don't teach as much as I used to since I became dean," he said. "This is an opportunity for students to compete but also an opportunity for me to interact with students for a full day and get to know students and hear their stories. It's a lot of fun for me." 

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