General

Brownell Talbot team takes first place in this year’s Marshmallow Challenge

For nearly a decade, OPPD Society of Engineers (OSE) has invited fifth-grade students to try the Marshmallow Challenge. OSE tasks the students with building the tallest free-standing tower they can, using only uncooked spaghetti, masking tape and string, then topping off their creation with a marshmallow.

“Hosting this challenge is one fun way OSE introduces students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM),” said Eric Tesarek, OSE chair and engineer III in System Transformation. “The contest engages them in meaningful discussions around processes and team dynamics.”

The annual challenge, held in conjunction with Engineers Week, is designed to promote problem-solving skills,  innovative thinking and teamwork.

Members of OSE judged entries from 29 teams spanning seven schools across the OPPD district. Ranking the structures is always hard, as the rules are specific and the materials are sparse.

First place this year went to the Rizzlers, a team from Brownell Talbot College Preparatory School in Omaha, with a 22.5-inch tower.

Teams must work together to ensure the structure will support the marshmallow. A marshmallow may seem light, but set atop a delicate spaghetti structure, it can be a heavy load, causing the tower to tip over.

“Students learn you do not always get it right the first time, but you have to keep trying,” said Sam Hueser, OSE community outreach officer and engineer III in Utility Operations at OPPD. “When the structure is complete, it allows them to think about what they did well and how they could have done things differently.”

Rounding out the winners

Avocados, a team from Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer (HTRS) Public Schools (a school district based in Humboldt), finished second, with a 20-inch tower.

Third place went to the Spaghetti Breakers, another team from HTRS. They built a 17-in tower.

The top three winners’ classrooms will receive goody bags from OSE, as well as visits from OPPD engineers to talk about careers in engineering.

Another team from HTRS, Mellogetti, won the Most Creative Design Award.

“STEM is not only an important building block for our students’ future, it can also be exciting,” Tesarek said.