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CHRISTIAN BROTHERS UNIVERSITY, ST. BENILDE HALL
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009 -- 3:30 P.M.
(GRADES: 9-12)
 Download High School Competition Rules (.pdf)
Download High School Competition Entry Form (.pdf)
REGISTRATION: Entry Forms and $5.00 Entry Fee per student-event must be postmarked by Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Events are intended for individual competitors. Partners may enter, but all participants must submit an entry form and pay an entry fee.
PRIZES: $150, $100, and $50 will be awarded respectively to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners of each of the four competitions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please call (901)321-3405 or email
hscompetition@cbu.edu
 EGG DROP COMPETITION
We handle packages in one form or another every day. Most of us are unaware of the science and engineering that
go into making packaging materials. Packaging engineering is a comparatively new interdisciplinary field in which
scientific and engineering principles are applied to develop and produce packages that contain, protect, preserve,
inform, and sell a product.
The goal of the competition is to design “green” packaging (container and cushioning packing) to contain and
protect raw chicken eggs from breaking when dropped from a height of 16 feet and more. Soft, crushable packing
that encloses a lot of air is best. Think of materials that are yielding and light. What soft and fluffy materials could
be used? How can the weight of the package (box and packing), as well as the volume of the box, be minimized?
Only renewable materials may be used -- no plastics, foams, styrofoam, “packing peanuts”, fiberglass, etc. are allowed.
No wooden, metallic or plastic containers may be used. Paper, cotton, wood chips and other environmentally
friendly materials should be used as cushioning. The outside container must be made from a form of paper or
cardboard. Plastic adhesive tape is not allowed; however, masking tape is permitted.
Each package may be tested several times at increasing heights in order to determine winners. An additional round
of tests using an inclined impact tester may be used if needed to decide on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers.
CO2 CAR COMPETITION
Cars, airplanes, and rockets all have engines that work by converting chemical energy to mechanical energy. Exercise your chemical and mechanical engineering potential by designing a vehicle powered by baking soda and vinegar. The one that goes the farthest wins!
Baking soda and vinegar combine to produce carbon dioxide gas. If the CO2 is directed through a nozzle, the thrust produced by the nozzle may be used to move a vehicle (car, sled, etc.).
Your vehicle must transport a “load” (a raw Grade A Large egg) intact, in a specified direction, and over a hard surface such as asphalt, tile, concrete, or brick. The test course may be slightly inclined or uneven, but it will have no drop-offs or ditches. It may be outdoors and therefore subject to wind, moisture, small debris, etc. Each vehicle will be permitted a maximum of two attempts to navigate the course. Vehicles will be judged based on the distance they travel within the course confines. The winning vehicle will be the one with the single best run. Ties will be settled using the average of the runs a vehicle made.
BALSA CRATE COMPETITION
Crates are used to transport goods from one location to another. Often they are stacked on top of one another, and
so must be strong enough to protect their contents.
The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Packaging Program at CBU invite all
high school students to build a balsa wood crate and test its strength.
 TRACTOR PULL COMPETITION
Engineering problems frequently require the design of controlled systems with
conflicting demands for load, speed, force, energy consumption, rate of energy
release, and so forth. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
(ECE) challenges you to design, construct, and assemble a “tractor” that
demonstrates such a system.
Sponsored by: Christian Brothers University, School of Engineering
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