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October 23rd, 2019

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Aerospace Engineering Competition

Introduction:

Your team represents an ocean dwelling civilization's most ambitious engineers and

scientists who wish to scan the surface world for resources. Not wanting to get a rover stuck on unexpectedly difficult terrain and fearing hostile birds that would pop a balloon, you decide to

build a rocket that will be launched inland from a desolate beach. Unfortunately, your project is underfunded, and you can’t afford any propellants other than water and compressed air. You want your rocket to have the slowest descent possible to maximize the amount of data

collected by your scanners. For this competition, you will build a water rocket and launch pad from scratch and

launch the rocket with the goal of maximizing its time of flight. No payload is required on your

rocket.

Competition Requirements:

• Construct a water rocket and a compatible launch pad. Neither your rocket nor your launch pad may be built from a kit. Look online for inspiration in building water rockets and launch pads from scratch.

• Your rocket must be powered by water and compressed air. No chemical reactions to propel your rocket are allowed.

• Your rocket must be built from a plastic soda bottle (you can choose what size)

• To ensure that rockets are not filled to extremely high pressures, your source of compressed air must be a bicycle pump with a pressure gage. For a fair competition, do not pressurize your rocket beyond 40 psi.

• Email a video of a test launch to cfry42@ku.edu at least 2 days prior to the competition

so that competition staff knows your rocket is safe (it doesn’t tip, explode on the pad, fly unpredictably, etc.).

• Launch your rocket from your launch pad at least once at the High School Design

competition. You may launch one additional time (for a total of two launches) to try to improve your score.

• Follow all safety guidelines provided in the following section.

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Safety:

Violating the following safety guidelines will result in disqualification.

• Do not launch your rocket at people or animals. • Never stand over a rocket that is about to be launched. • As mentioned before, provide a video of a test launch demonstrating that your rocket is

safe. • Only pressurize the plastic bottle in your rocket. Do not pressurize a metal container. • All team members not launching a rocket must stand outside the designated launch

area. • The team member launching the rocket must wear safety glasses. Safety glasses are

strongly recommended for everyone present.

• Call out a loud and clear countdown before launching your rocket. • Everyone present at launch must be attentive in case a rocket launches unpredictably • Do not launch your rocket excessively before the competition. This is to ensure that

your bottle stays strong. • Follow all directions given to you by competition staff

Scoring:

• Your score is your rocket’s time of flight (ToF) in seconds. Time of flight will be measured from lift off to when the rocket hits the ground. A score of zero will be given if the

rocket does not take off or if it ruptures on the launch pad. • You must launch your rocket at least once at the competition and can launch a second

time to take the better score from either launch.

• The team with the highest score wins! In the event of a tie, the team with the least expensive rocket and launch pad wins. Please keep track of purchases related to this project and provide receipts and/or screenshots of online orders.

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Bioengineering Competition

Bioengineering Competition Rules: The Bioengineering competition will be comprised of three parts. One must complete the three

main steps of biomedical device design by creating a functioning fish heart, determining the best method of device implementation, and presenting the business proposition of the product. Be sure to read the whole document to ensure that your heart is capable of performing each

stage of the competition without modifications from stage to stage. Competition Educational Background:

This competition is designed to help you explore what it could be like to be a bioengineer, working to improve the lives of others through a blend of biology and engineering. This article does an amazing job describing the impact a bioengineer can have:

https://www.abbott.com/careers/working-with-us/shrinking-a-heart-valve-to-the-size-of-a-dime.html

The competition is to create a fish heart. We chose a heart because it is a very complex system that will push you in your design. The fish side of the equation was in the spirit of this years under the sea theme for High School Design. For a little exposure on how the fish heart

compares to a human heart, the following website is very helpful (be sure to use the arrows at the bottom of the page to continue reading about the importance of control in the fish heart): https://esi.stanford.edu/circulation/circulation6.htm

Bioengineers are also responsible for the design of new medical instruments and special tools for surgery. The second part of the competition will test your skill in designing a device that is able to accurately and, in a time-efficient manner, install your device in the proper location.

Below are two medical devices that are designed to help improve the accuracy of surgery. These devices are fascinating and can serve as inspiration for your design. Da Vinci

https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci/energy/vessel-sealer-extend Ion Catheter https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/ion

Even in engineering, it is important to be able to communicate your ideas. So, in the third part of the competition you will be discussing your product and your plans to get it to market. It is

incredibly important to think about device safety and device compliance when designing a real biomedical product. To help you think about the implications of device design, below you will find two FDA websites that describe what it takes to get a device approved. FDA

https://www.fda.gov/patients/learn-about-drug-and-device-approvals FDA Tracks https://www.fda.gov/patients/device-development-process/step-3-pathway-approval

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Part 1: Device Creation (40% of total score): Create a fish heart using the following specifications

Requirements: • Material: No restrictions on materials • Input: Single input to the heart must be able to be attached to a sink to simulate

blood flowing from the veins to the fish heart. The attachment must be a standard garden hose (¾” GHT Thread)

• Output: Two outputs must be designed so that 1/3 of the flow is diverted to the

gills (you do not need to build the gills or the body of the fish, just the heart) and 2/3 of the water needs to flow to the body of the fish (we realize that this is not anatomically correct for a fish, but it better matches the human heart’s four

chamber system). • Flow Rate: Flow of the water out of the heart will only be recorded to determine

the output ratio of water to the gills and to the body of the fish. We will attach the heart to a normal house faucet to provide the flow of water. The heart is not

intended to pump, only divert the flow of the water as desired. Judging Criteria:

• Leakage (10 points): leakage should be kept to a minimum everywhere in the heart, of course except for the intended outputs.

• Output (20 points): points will be awarded for how close outputs match the

desired ratio • Design (20 points): points will be awarded for creativity in the design of the fish

heart

Part 2: Surgery (40% of total score): One will need to engineer a way to implant their heart in the “fish” in the shortest amount of time without damaging any of the surrounding organs.

Participants will perform an emulated surgery in our testing rig (pictured below, but with more fishlike qualities) to implant their devices. The testing rig will be comprised of a box enclosure manufactured to the specifications below. One can create their own tools and methods to implant the device within the specifications.

Requirements:

• Material: No restrictions on materials, however we will not be providing any

materials for this part. Please bring whatever is necessary for your surgery • No modifications to the testing rig will be allowed (no drilling, cutting, etc.) • This can be one person performing the surgery or as many people on your team

as you choose. • See design below for requirements:

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Judging Criteria:

• Speed (10 points): points will be awarded based on the time the surgery takes

• Safety (10 points): the surgeons tools should not touch the top of the box when putting in the fish heart. Points will be deducted for each time the tool hits the side of the box

• Accuracy (10): points will be awarded for how close the heart ends up to the “target zone” after the surgeon(s) declares the surgery completed.

• Tools and Technique (20 points): points will be awarded for the best technique

or tools designed to complete the surgery. Part 3: Presentation (20% total score): Create a presentation as if you are an entrepreneur seeking to get investors for your fish heart.

Requirements:

• Format: presentations may be digital (i.e. slideshow) or physical (i.e. poster

board). For digital presentations, a laptop will be available for use; participants can either transfer the presentation via a USB drive or sign into an online storage provider

• Time: 3-5 min presentation with 2 minutes for questions

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• Required talking points: what makes your product unique, what else is on the market for fish surgery, estimated market size, timeline, if you had to pass this through the FDA (which you do not… because it is a fish heart… but pretend you

did) what pathway would you choose and why? • Additional talking points are up to the presenter, however, are optional. Ideas

include: how did you make this heart, what did you use for inspiration for the

design, what did you learn from the process, how could you improve the design in the future, etc.

Judging Criteria: • Time (10 points): judges will deduct points for not adhering to time requirements • Creativity (10 points): judges will award points for product creativity

• Design (10 points): judges will award points for the merits of the product design • Content (20 points): judges will award points for successfully conveying the

required talking points • Presentation (10 points): judges will award points for presentation quality

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Chemical Engineering Competition

Background:

Oil spills are considered one of the most devastating man-made disasters, affecting

entire ecosystems and human populations. From marine life, to terrestrial consumers, to entire marine-based economies, oil spills pose a major threat to the well -being of all involved. Fortunately, organizations like the NOAA (and our ingenious high school engineers) have

developed (and will develop) physical and/or chemical means for both prevention and clean-up of these oil spills. Competition Description:

This year’s HSD chemical engineering competition challenges high school students to

remove and collect oil from a micro-scale oil spill. To accomplish this task, teams must create a

device that uses chemical engineering principles to extract and collect as much vegetable oil from a 2-L oil slick contained within a 5-gallon bucket containing 3 gallons of water.

Scoring:

3 main criteria will be used to assess the students’ solution (maximum of 100 points):

• Amount of collected oil (65 pts)

o Ratio of oil collected to oil contained within the spill (2 L) • Collected Oil/Water Ratio (25 pts)

o Ratio of oil collected to water collected

• Creativity of design (15 pts) o Additional points for exemplary design aesthetic and/or utilization of multiple

chemical principles or reactions

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Full Points Most Points Some Points

Amount of Collected Oil

(65 pts) ≥ 70% oil recovery

(55 pts) 50-70% oil recovery

(40 pts) ≤ 50% oil recovery

Collected Oil/Water

Ratio

(20 pts) >60% oil by

volume

(15 pts) 30%-60% oil by

volume

(10 pts) <30% oil by

volume

Creativity of Design (Up to 15 pts) To judges’ discretion

Additional Notes:

• If a chemical reaction is used to transform the oil, the products must be removed and

captured within the device

• If the device requires participants to make or maintain physical contact with their device, there will be a 15-point deduction

o Additionally, participants must remain outside a 2-ft radius from the bucket

Safety:

Failure to comply with safety standards will result in disqualification

• Participants MUST:

o Submit an MSDS to highschooldesign@ku.edu for each chemical utilized in the oil separation reaction by October 2, 2019 at 5pm

▪ HSD Safety Committee will respond to rejected chemicals within 48 hours of submission

o Wear appropriate PPE based on MSDS recommendations ▪ Minimum PPE requirements include

• Splash-Proof Goggles (provided)

• Thin Nitrile Lab Gloves (provided)

• Participants must NOT:

o Utilize highly flammable or reactive substances, as determined by the chemical MSDS

o Utilize living organisms in the execution of their device

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Mechanical Engineering Competition The Hydraulic “Claw”

Introduction:

This competition focuses on the principles of hydraulic movements. Students will apply these principles alongside other mechanical engineering concepts, such as rotation and simple machines. The main goal of this competition is for students to construct a claw or mechanism that can lift weights of different sizes (a treasure chest full of gold coins found under the sea).

Projects will be judged on the design process, presentation and explanation of the different parts of the mechanism, and the heaviest weight lifted.

Rules:

Part A: Specifications & Regulations

A.1 – Limitations

All measurements are taken when the machine is compressed or fully compact.

Width: 12 in at the widest point.

Length: 12 in at the widest point.

Height: Unrestricted

Weight: Unrestricted.

A.2 – Requirements

The mechanism must be able to lift a weight 4 inches off the ground. A student or group

of students control the machine simultaneously. This must be done using hydraulics, or the movement of a liquid under pressure. An example is shown below.

A.3 – Safety

Students must wear safety goggles when manufacturing, handling, and presenting the machine. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

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A.4 –Team Size

There shall be no more than 4 students to a team.

Part B: Materials

B.1 – Base and Frame

Metallic materials are prohibited in the construction of the support and framework. The mechanism must be supported using either wood, plastic, cardboard, or some other

sturdy material.

B.2 – Hydraulics

The hydraulic liquid to be used in the mechanism is the group’s choice of water, olive oil,

or rubbing alcohol. The choice must be justified. The mechanism must be secured and properly insulated to not leak or spill. Syringes can be used to move or pump the hydraulic liquid.

B.3 – Fasteners

Any type of fastener can be used in this project. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Screws • Nails

• Tape • Dowels • Pins

• Thumbtacks • Glue (hot glue and super glue [i.e. Gorilla, Loctite] ONLY are allowed) • Staples

B.4 – Lifting Mechanism

The mechanism must lift the weight using either method listed below:

• Hook

• A hook can be attached to the weight and used to lift it. • Clamping

• A clamping mechanism, similar to a claw can be used using hydraulics

Part C: Judging Criteria

C.1 – Design Process (10 pts)

Students should have documentation on the materials used, the brainstorming process,

and the construction of the mechanism. This includes research, blueprints, and/or sketches.

C.2 – Presentation (20 pts)

Students should be able to explain how their mechanism works, including the science behind it. This presentation will be short (maximum of three minutes), require a

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PowerPoint or other visual aid, and be given to a judge who will score it according to the rubric below.

Criteria 1 3 5 Score

Eye Contact with

Audience

No eye contact was established during

the presentation.

Eye contact happened through

about half of the presentation.

Maintained excellent eye contact throughout

the presentation.

Organization of Content

The content was organized in a

manner that was very difficult to understand.

The content was organized in a

manner that was very easy to understand.

The content was organized in a manner

that was very easy to understand.

Quality of

Visual Aid

The visual aid did

not clarify the principles and/or demonstrate how

the project works.

The visual aid

contributed to the presentation, although more

integration could be useful.

The visual aid served a

great purpose in the presentation, allowing the judges to

understand how the machine works.

Teamwork The presentation was dominated by

one person.

Several people presented, but there

were some who did not contribute much.

Every student presented equally.

C.3 – Weights

Students will be awarded points based on how much weight their mechanism can lift.

The treasure chest will be filled with the respective amount of weight. Any leaks or spills will result in a 10-point deduction.

WEIGHT (grams) POINTS

10 40

20 45

30 50

40 55

50 60

75 65

100 70

The winning project will be decided on after all teams have presented and performed.

In the case of a tie, teams will lift weights with their projects a second time to determine which one endures longer.

NOTE: There are many resources online available for students to gain inspiration from.

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Computer Science Competition

Introduction:

Each student team, consisting of 1-4 students, will be given 10 problems of varying difficulty. Teams will not be allowed to access online or printed resources during the competition. The primary focus of the problems will be to test the principles of programming logic and algorithmic thinking. Students can expect to see topics such as for-loops, while-loops, if/else

statements, and input/output. Some advanced problems may include more difficult topics such as data structures, sorting algorithms, and recursion. Here are some resources that could help the students prepare for the competition. The best way to prepare for the competition is

finding practice questions to work on.

• CodeAcademy

• Euler Project • Stackoverflow

Due to the automated judging system on HackerRank, it is recommended that students use common programming languages such as Java, Python, C++, etc.

Rules: Timing Teams will be allotted a single block of 2.5 hours. The first 30 minutes will be spent ensuring

each team has access to the platform. The final two hours will be spent planning, writing, testing, and submitting code. On the day of the competition, each team will be given 1 computer to work on.

Problem Structure Each team will be given 10 programming questions at once. The questions will vary in difficulty

and teams will be able to pick and choose which problems they would like to work on. All problems will be described uniformly. Each question will have an introduction to the problem and will set up the scenario and describe what challenges the program will solve. It will then

give one example input and output. In order to submit a program, the code must successfully complete the given example case. The code will then be tested against multiple test cases. Scoring and Tie Breakers

Each correct problem is worth 10 points. Partial credit will be awarded for each test case that is correct. Whichever team accumulates the most points will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the team that accumulated the most points the fastest will be declared the winner. In

the event that there is an error in a test case, it will be discarded, and no points will be awarded. Automated Judging

The competition will use an automated judging system called HackerRank. HackerRank provides a website interface where the students will write, compile, test, and submit all code in various programming languages. Additionally, it will have a running scoreboard and countdown clock.

Prior to the competition, each team should create a HackerRank account and become accustomed to the platform.

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Cheating Teams will not be allowed to access any online, written, or printed resources. Teams are only allowed to access HackerRank for the duration of the competition. If a team is caught accessing

any resources, they will be disqualified from the competition. Problem Topics Each team should be familiar with basic programming concepts for their chosen programming

language. Be sure to note the quirks that each language may have. Possible proble m topics include:

• Assignment and Arithmetic o Declaring variables o Performing arithmetic operations

o Boolean values • Conditionals

o If/Else

o Nested If/Else • Loops

o For-Loops

o Nested For-Loops o While Loops o Do-While Loops

• Data Structures

o Arrays o Lists o Vectors

o Hashmaps • Functions and Methods

o Defining own functions

• Recursion o Using recursive methods

Rule Changes All rules are subject to change. If a rule change occurs, all teams will be notified via email.

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Civil Engineering Competition Rules Introduction: It is the year 3000, not much has changed but we live underwater, and my great great great

granddaughter is doing fine, but needs to construct a bridge across a massive tectonic crack at the bottom of the ocean floor (*bridges will not actually be tested underwater*) between Atlantis and El Dorado. It is your task to design a balsa wood bridge that will have lightweight

frame yet still support as much of a load as possible in order to help transport building materials from Atlantis to El Dorado. Your bridge will be tested, and then you will give a short presentation regarding your team, your design/CAD drawings, and explain how you designed and created the bridge. There will be three stages to the competition - Presentation, Drawing,

and Load to Weight Ratio.

1. Presentation (15/100 Points): Teams will give a short presentation in front of the

judges regarding their bridge. This presentation should include their AutoCAD/manual drawings, the planning process, and why their bridge design will be able to carry the 1 lb. load. Additionally, present for about a minute about one of the major innovations in bridge design

and technology and how this has impacted the design. The team’s presentation may not exceed 4 minutes, if the timer reaches 4 minutes the team will be stopped even if they have not completed their presentation.

Beginner 1 points

Developing 2 points

Acceptable 3 points

Effective 4 points

Excellent 5 points

Major Innovation

No mention of the major innovation

Innovation is not named OR there is no mention of its design strengths

Innovation is named, no specifics are mentioned

Innovation is named, benefits are well explained

Innovation is named, benefits are thoroughly explained

Presentation Skills

No eye contact, no team introduction, too quiet to hear, negative body language

Minimal eye contact, barely/no team intro, barely audible presentation

Some eye contact, good intro, good voice projection

Good eye contact, intro, and projection; even distribution of speaking parts

Captivating presentation; great eye contact, voice volume; all members present equally

Beginner 1 points

Developing 2 points

Acceptable 3 points

Effective 4 points

Excellent 5 points

Knowledge and Enthusiasm

No explanation of design process, knowledge about bridge, or enthusiasm

Vague description of design process, little knowledge about bridge, not much enthusiasm

Some explanation of design process, some knowledge about bridge, some enthusiasm

Good explanation and knowledge about their bridge; mostly enthusiastic

Explains the design process, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about bridge

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2. Top, Side, and 3D Drawing (15/100 Points): The team will need to provide side views, top views, and a 3D model of the team’s bridge. Use the AutoCAD application or a neat, detailed hand sketch in pen for the drawings. Side and top models are 5 points each, the 3D

model is 15 points.

Beginner 1 point

Developing 1.5 points

Acceptable 2 points

Effective 2.5 points

Excellent 3 points

Top View

No drawing submitted

Drawing is very messy, not professional, and inaccurate to actual bridge design

Drawing is messy but represents actual bridge design

Drawing is accurate and mostly professional, but still a little messy

Drawing is accurate, professional, neat, and detailed

Side View

No drawing submitted

Drawing is very messy, not professional, and inaccurate to actual bridge design

Drawing is messy but represents actual bridge design

Drawing is accurate and mostly professional, but still a little messy

Drawing is accurate, professional, neat, and detailed

Beginner 1 points

Developing 3 points

Acceptable 5 points

Effective 7 points

Excellent 9 points

3D Model

No drawing submitted

Drawing is very messy, not professional, and inaccurate to actual bridge; difficult to differentiate between pieces

Drawing is messy but represents actual bridge design; possible to differentiate between pieces

Drawing is accurate and mostly professional, but still a little messy; can differentiate between pieces

Drawing is accurate, professional, neat, and detailed; different pieces easily identifiable

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3. Load & Weight-to-Load Ratio (70/100 Points): If the bridge withstands the initial 1 lb. load, more will be added slowly until it breaks. If the bridge does not withstand the initial load, no points will be awarded for this section. Each bridge will also be weighed individually, and a

Weight-to-Load ratio will be used to determine how efficient each team was with their material.

Weight-to-Load Percentile Range Points Awarded

0-10% 7

10-20% 14

20-30% 21

30-40% 28

40-50% 35

50-60% 42

60-70% 49

70-80% 56

80-90% 63

90-100% 70

Design Specifications: 1. Bridge Height and Span Length Requirements

• Minimum height for boat clearance: 1 foot • Maximum height: 3 feet • Minimum central span length between the two supports: 3 feet

• Maximum central span length between the two supports: 4 feet • Minimum overall deck span (from end to end): 5 feet • Minimum width of the bridge: 6 inches

• Maximum width of the bridge: 18 inches • Ensure that the bridge deck is one consistent height so underwater cars can

drive across the road and has two supports • The ends of the bridge will be supported on the day of the competition by

supports outside the design structure • Glue/Hot Glue is allowed to connect pieces of Balsa Wood, however it is not

approved to be used to strengthen the Balsa Wood in any way.

2. Approved Materials

• Balsa Wood • Hot Glue

• Other Glues • Recommended - Ruler, Exacto-Knife, Cutting Board, Pen

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3. Bridge must be able to withstand initial load (1 lb.) attached in the middle of the bridge 4. Team presentation cannot exceed 4 minutes. The team will be cut off at exactly 4 minutes even if the presentation is not finished.

5. The competitors must submit all materials (drawings) except the pitch at least 2 days before the competition to nathan.bennett@ku.edu.

6. The bridge will need to be completed upon arrival at KU.