Competitions

Hosted by American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter

Bridges made in advance.

The objective of this competition is to design and construct one or more bridges to be tested against several performance standards including a Maximum Load (ML) test, Structural Efficiency (SE) test, and a Construction & Traffic (C&T) test. Each school will only be allowed to use one bridge per test category. SE and ML tests will be administered in the same testing apparatus and therefore a team’s bridge can compete in each of these tests. Teams interested in competing in the C&T test will need to bring at least one other bridge as the testing scenario requires meeting different geometric criteria. 

Hosted by Systers

Answer fun, computer-based questions of different skill levels! Ranging from basic cryptography to programming, there are questions for everyone. 

Hosted by American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHe) UT Chapter and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Come place your name on the leaderboard and showcase your knowledge of chemical engineering. With categories such as Industry, Theory, Practice, and more, students will have the opportunity to compete and learn more about the field of Chemical Engineering as a whole. Students in small teams (1-3 members) will compete in a chemistry-themed Jeopardy challenge designed to highlight how chemistry concepts connect to chemical engineering. The competition will consist of five preliminary rounds (subject to change based on the number of registered teams), with three teams competing in each round. The top three teams from the preliminary rounds will advance to the final round, where one winning team will emerge. 

Hosted by Engineers Without Borders

This challenge has students design a small-scale water distribution system inspired by a real-world Engineers Without Borders project in Rwanda. Students will work on designing and preparing their system before Engineers Day. On Engineers Day, students will have 10 minutes to construct their water pipeline using the approved materials provided and then test the performance of their design. The goal of the challenge is to create a water system that can efficiently and reliably transport water from a designated water source to a community. Students will need to consider factors such as water flow, distance, elevation, structural stability, material usage, cost, and reliability when developing their design. 

Hosted by Alpha Omega Epsilon

Each team will have up to 4 people. They will each hold a string that is attached to a rubber band. The goal is to stack the cups in a pyramid in the shortest time possible. Our actives will be timing each team and keeping track of which team has the fastest time. 

Hosted by Materials Research Society

Devices made in advance.

Teams of students must build a contraption designed to help an egg survive being dropped off the Tickle Bridge. Contraptions can be made of household or store-bought items and will be judged on weight, number of material types used, and where the contraption lands on the provided target. The egg drop competition encourages students to consider material design and aim for light, simple devices that will still protect their eggs. 

Hosted by Society of Hispanic Professionals in Engineering (SHPE)

Students will be given materials and will build a car to race and compete against other teams. 

Hosted by The Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers

Work in teams of 2-4 to design an efficient LEGO assembly line and race to build the model in the fastest time. Teams will plan their strategy, assign roles, and assemble the LEGO pieces before completing a quality check. The fastest team with an accurate model wins! 

Hosted by Engineering Outreach Ambassadors

Work individually or in groups of 2-3. Each will be given a square of aluminum foil and a certain number of pennies. Groups/Individuals are to construct a boat out of the foil to hold as many pennies as possible without sinking.

Hosted by Biomedical Engineering Society

Devices made in advance.

This challenge has students design a usable, below knee, leg prosthetic with the items in their own homes. Students will design and construct a leg prosthetic within the criteria mentioned below that can hold weight, allow students to walk and jump, be comfortable to wear, as well as get in and out of chairs. This challenge can be completed individually as well as in teams of any size! (*Devices must be made in advance and brought to Engineers Day.) 

Hosted by The Maker’s Club

Competitors will go head to head in solving multiple types of puzzles and challenges, racing against each other and a clock. The winner of each set will win a small prize.  

Hosted by Tau Beta Pi

The quiz bowl consists of three rounds of questions related to engineering and math. Teams that perform well in the first round continue to the second round and likewise to the third round where the team that scores the best wins the competition.

Hosted by American Nuclear Society, Women in Nuclear, and Health Physics Society

Shields made in advance.

The competition aims to introduce high school students to an aspect of nuclear engineering: radiation shielding. Students will prepare a shield at home that meets the guidelines in the rules and bring it to Engineers Day. Each shield will be tested to see how effectively it blocks radiation from a Co-60 source and the team with the lowest detected count rate relative to the weight of the shield wins.

Hosted by Tennessee Baja Racing

Students will create a car powered by the stored elastic potential energy in a rubber band using provided materials. Cars will be judged based on how far they travel from the baja table and how many materials they use.  

Hosted by Tennessee Water Resources Research Center

Students will work in small teams (1–4 members) to design and build a small network of pipes that delivers water from an elevated reservoir to three storage containers. The objective is to design a network that distributes water equally among the containers. The team whose network fills the containers most evenly wins the competition. 

Hosted by American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers

Students will construct a windmill out of provided supplies. The windmill will then be attached to an electric generator, and the windmill that creates the strongest current will win.