Engineering Fair

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

The Oklahoma Engineering Fair, organized and directed by the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation is held every spring and brings together students, teachers, professors, and the business community to give students an introduction to engineering and related principles. The students are also given the opportunity to showcase their creativity in engineering construction and design through various categories of competition including a bridge competition; rubber band powered vehicle competition; drone competition; tower competition; electric motor competition; ping pong launcher competition and wacky wonders competition.

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Bridge Building Contest

The Oklahoma Structural Engineers Association is the sponsor of the Bridge Building Contest. Isabella Horton is the coordinator. Click here to download the 2023 Bridge Building Contest Rules

Eiffel Tower Competition

The coordinator of the Eiffel Tower Competition is Dr. Brian Grady, Chair of Chemical Engineering, Gallogly College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma. Dr. Grady is also representating the Society of Plastics Engineers. Click here to download the 2023 Eiffel Tower Contest Rules

Bruce Stout Rubber Band Powered Vehicle Contest

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Central Oklahoma Section, is the sponsor of the Bruce Stout Rubber Band Powered Vehicle Contest. The coordinator is Edwin Reynolds. Click here to download a copy of the 2023 Rubber Band-Powered Vehicle Contest Rules

Electrical Motor Contest

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Oklahoma Section, is the sponsor of the Electric Motor Contest. The coordinators are Dan Morehead and Robert Scolli. Click here to download the 2023 Electrical Motor Contest Rules

Wacky Wonder Works Competition

The Central/Southwest Chapter of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Engineers is the sponsor and host of the Wacky Wonder Works Competition. John Doddy, Division Manager with the FAA, is the coordinator. Click here for the 2023 Wacky Wonder Works Competition Rules.

Drone Zone Competition

The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, is the sponsor of the Drone Zone Competition.

Click here to download the 2023 Drone Zone Competition.

Ping Pong Launcher Contest

The Ping Pong Launcher Contest is sponsored by the Society of Manfuacturing Engineers, Oklahoma Chapter. The coordinator is Nicholas Bidelspach with Ditch Witch. Click here for the 2023 Ping Pong Launcher Contest Rules.

Register Today!

Join us for the 2023 Oklahoma Engineering Fair February 22 at Science Museum Oklahoma. 

Give to OEF

Thank you so much for your interest in giving to the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation. It’s because of people like you that we are able to continue the work of the Oklahoma Engineering Fair. There are several ways to give, so click the buttton below to find out what area of giving is right for you.

Prizes and Awards

The first-place classroom/teacher in each category win $400 and a plaque; second place, $200; and third place, $100. The first-place student winners in each category will receive a medal and $30 Amazon gift card; second place, a medal and $20 Amazon gift card; and third place, a medal and $10 Amazon gift card. All students who attend the fair will receive a FREE T-shirt and participation ribbon

Travel Assistance Available!

Thanks to the generosity of the Kirkpatrick Foundation, travel assistance (up to $500 depending on need) is available to up to 10 schools in the 10 poorest counties in the state. They include Atoka, Adair, Harmon, Pushmataha, McIntosh, Coal, Cherokee, Choctaw, Tillman and McCurtain Counties. In addition, up to 10 schools in counties that border Central Oklahoma and which are predominantly rural and in close proximity to the event venue (Science Museum Oklahoma) will also be eligible for some travel assistance (up to $250 depending on need). These include Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, Canadian, Cleveland, McClain and Pottawatomie Counties. The application for assistance will be posted on or before December 1, 2023. For more information about travel assistance, please email jennifer@oef.org.

Thank you! 

2023 Oklahoma Engineering Fair

February 22, 2023

The 41st Annual Oklahoma Engineering Fair will be held at Science Museum of Oklahoma. Competitions kick off at 10 a.m. and run through 1 p.m. Mark your calendars for WEDNESDAY, February 22, 2023!

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New Rules

Based on results from our Student-Parent-Teacher-Volunteer survey we have updated some of our contest/competition rules. 

See above.

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Media Release

Notification

Participation in the Oklahoma Engineering Fair implies consent to use contest photographs in local, regional, and national publicity. If you need an exception to this rule for a student, please inform us by email prior to the contest at jennifer@oef.org.

Thank you!

New Awards

New this year: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place students will receive $30, $20 and $10 Amazon gift cards, respectively. Also, new this year, every student attending the fair will receive a FREE T-shirt featuring our 2023 Oklahoma Engineering Fair logo and a fun participation ribbon.

 Refer to prizes and awards above for more details. 

Bridge Building Competition

Foreword

Each school MUST preregister one week (5 business days) prior to the date of the Engineering Fair. Visit oef.org for registration information. Upon registration, the participants will receive an entry form via email, which must be completed and attached to their bridge. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries from registered schools (entries from unregistered schools will NOT be eligible for prizes).

Design

Prior to the Fair a STUDENT bridge builder must design and build his/her own bridge. All design and building techniques should fall within the specifications that follow. Tolerances are given in the specifications. Should any bridge fall outside the tolerances, that bridge will be disqualified or the builder may attempt on-the-spot modifications to bring the bridge within specifications. Each bridge must be free standing.

Note: While adults may aid the student with suggestions, etc., the bridge must be built ONLY by the student ¾ NO ADULT CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE IS PERMITTED.

Click here to download a PDF of the Bridge Competition rules.

Bruce Stout Rubber Band Powered Vehicle Contest

FOREWARD

Each school MUST preregister one week (5 business days) prior to the Engineering Fair by visiting http://www.oef.org/2023-fair-registration.

To expedite the check-in process, please complete the contest entry form prior to arrival, also found on the OEF website under the Engineering Fair tab. A limited number of entry forms will be available the day of the Engineering Fair. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries from registered schools (entries from unregistered schools will NOT be eligible for prizes).

Click here to continue reading

Drone Zone Competition

Click here to download the PDF of the Drone Obstacle Course Competition Rules

Objective

The Drone Competition is a virtual competition. The goal is to design and build an obstacle course and to fly and maneuver an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone through the course as fast and as safely as possible. The drone you use can be one that you have purchased or it can be one that you have designed and created on your own. Students will submit a video of their course and UAV/drone flight through the course by February 15, 2023 and will then participate in a video interview with judges at the Engineering Fair.

Design Statement

Each entrant / team is responsible for creating an obstacle course which allows your drone to fly over a structure, through a structure, and under a structure. There must be an obvious start and stop location. Participants can purchase a drone or build one from scratch. The obstacle course and drone will be judged by:

  • Creativity
  • Obstacle Difficulty
  • Ability to employ (3) safety mechanisms
  • Ability to hover drone, as well as ability to maneuver over, through and under obstacles
  • Complete course within a 5-minute time limit
  • Extra points given to those participants who design/create their own drone

For those participants that opt to create their own drone, a Parts List must be provided. This list should indicate the source, cost, and fabrication operations for the drone.

Materials & Restrictions

Costs in materials in constructing a drone is restricted to a $250.00 or less per drone (this does not include an FPV (first person video).

Common vendors for purchasing drone kits include – Amazon, Hobby King, Get FPV, and Ready Made RC.

 

Eiffel Tower Competition

FOREWARD

This number of entries per school is unlimited. Each entry is a team project, conducted by two students.

Each school MUST complete a Fair Registration one week (5 business days) prior to the Engineering Fair. Entry forms must be completed and handed in at time of competition check-in on the day of the Engineering Fair. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries from registered schools (entries from unregistered schools will NOT be eligible for prizes).

Click here to continue reading.

IEEE Electric Motor Contest

Objective

Prior to competition, design and build an electric motor powered by a dry cell battery that rotates at the highest possible speed.

Design Statement

Each entrant will design, build and test a Horizontal shaft electrical motor. The motor shall be powered by one readily available non-rechargeable dry cell battery. The motor is judged on its highest rotation speed with no load. The motor may be started by hand. The motor is to be constructed from materials and simple hardware readily available at retail stores or mail order suppliers. A design drawing and parts list indicating the source, cost and fabrication operations for each part must accompany the motor.

NOTE: The motor must be built by this year’s contestant and not by a previous year’s contestant.

Materials & Restrictions

The power must be derived from one non-rechargeable dry cell battery. The maximum nominal voltage shall be one and one-half (1.5) Volts. A single flashlight battery up to D size may be used. Batteries may not be paralleled. The battery is supplied by the entrant and may not be replaced during a timed contest. The battery may be replaced between the first and second trial.

Readily available permanent magnets may be used.

Industrial quality or other professionally manufactured components are not permitted. Manufactured kits will not be allowed.

Electrical and electronic components such as switches, resistors (variable and fixed), capacitors, inductors, relays, transistors, integrated circuits and interconnection hardware readily available through local retail or mail order sources may be used. Pre-manufactured subassemblies such as armatures, field structures, computer, or controller modules will not be permitted.

Materials such as wire, cable, string; wood, plastic, permanent magnets, metal sheet; bar and rod stock; common fasteners such as nails, screws, adhesives, staples and rivets; wheels, pulleys, bearings; and other common items readily available in local retail stores may be used.

Toy or hobbyist type articles such as erector set structural components may be used. Major components such as armatures, commutators, or field structures from motors or motor kits may not be used.

NOTE: A design drawing clearly labeling each component and a corresponding parts list must accompany each motor. The parts list must indicate the source (vendor), cost, machining and fabrication procedure for each component.

Click here to download a PDF of the 2023 Electrical Motor Contest Rules

Ping Pong Launcher Competition

FOREWARD

This contest is limited to five entries per school.

Each school MUST pre-register one week (5 business days) prior to the date of the Engineering Fair by visiting www.oef.org/fair-registration. To expedite the check-in process, please complete the contest entry form prior to arrival, also found on the OEF website. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries from registered schools. Entries from unregistered schools will NOT be eligible for prizes.

Design Statement and Objective

Prior to the competition, each team will design and build a launcher which can catapult ping-pong balls at targets (#10 Cans 6 inches in diameter x 7 inches tall) located 12 feet from the launcher table. Launcher must shoot only one ball at a time and should be re-loadable in order to launch as many balls as possible within a three-minute time frame.

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Wacky Wonder Works

2023 The Wacky Wonder Works Competition is sponsored by the Oklahoma Society of Professional Engineers, Central/Southwest Chapter. 

FOREWARD

The Wacky Wonder Works (WWW) Competition uses modified Rube Goldberg machine contest rules to test student’s engineering skills. Please review the current rules below as some have changed from past competitions.

This contest is limited to four (4) entries per school. Each entry is a team project; conducted by no more than six team members. An individual student may NOT participate on more than one team. Only one entry per team is allowable.

Each school MUST complete the Official Entry and Project Description Form found on page 5 and submit it to the OEF office by Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at Noon (Central Time). It is critical that all actions are listed. Prizes will be awarded to winning entries from registered schools.

Click here to continue your review of the 2023 Wacky Wonder Works Rules.

 

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Pandemic Impact

Academic growth suffered nationwide during the pandemic. From 2020 to 2022, 9-year-olds across the country showed the first score drop in math since 1973, according to the Nation’s Report Card. 

Thirty-three percent of Oklahoma’s third- and fourth-graders hit grade-level targets in math, but numbers worsened among older children. Students in fifth, sixth and seventh grade scored on level at a rate of 22-26% while 16% of eighth-graders and 19% of 11th-graders showed math proficiency. 

“This pandemic has been like an earthquake; it shook our world, and education will never be the same,”

— Peggy Carr, Commissioner, NAEP

Meet Robert McCollum

Robert McCollum, SHRM-CP, is the new Chair of the Oklahoma Engineering Fair. Robert spent more than 100 hours volunteering for the fair in 2023, and is excited to devote even more time and energy to making the 2024 event a huge success. Robert has a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Oklahoma City University and Master’s degree in public administration from Anna Maria College. He has a background in nonprofit management, fundraising and grants administration. He is also a former Boy Scout leader and coaches youth baseball. He is very devoted to advancing STEM education in Oklahoma. He especially interested in electric vehicles, rockets and aviation!