CLARION, Pa. — A team of students from Cranberry Area School District took first place in the fourth and fifth-grade division of the STEM Design Challenge recently hosted by Riverview IU6.

(Photo: STEM Design Challenge 4th-5th Division 1st Place team, Cranberry Team 2 “The Couch Collector”. Pictured left to right: Ella Fisher, Conner Zerbe, Laynee McTiernan, and Kaden Goreczny.)

Riverview IU6 hosted the STEM Design Challenge on March 26. Ninety-six students competed in teams of four from Allegheny-Clarion Valley, Brookville, Clarion Area, Cranberry, Dubois Central Catholic, Franklin, Keystone, Redbank Valley, Union, and Valley Grove.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to encourage students to apply critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills across all of their content areas. The STEM Design Challenge is sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The challenge involves keeping a journal, developing a blueprint, using K’nex pieces to build the project, and then presenting to judges.

This year’s challenge involved designing and building an environmentally friendly product for the home.

During the competition, each team had two hours to build their project from their blueprints – no pieces could be brought to the competition already joined. Each team also made a two-minute presentation to explain how their project met the requirements of the challenge.

After the students completed their competition task, they participated in design-thinking Makerspace stations, including marble runs with Q-BA-MAZE, creating 2D and 3D geometric shapes with marshmallows and toothpicks, and designing weight bearing and tallest possible structures out of clothespins, clips, and craft sticks. They also participated in a “People’s Choice” activity where each student received fifty dollars in play money to “invest” in other teams’ products.    

4th & 5th Grade Division

First Place: Cranberry Team 2 “The Couch Collector”  
Team Members: Ella Fisher, Conner Zerbe, Laynee McTiernan, and Kaden Goreczny
Team Advisor: Gayle Mitchell

Second Place: Cranberry Team 1, “Wash Cube”
Third Place: Brookville Team 1, “F.R.E.D”
Blueprints: Brookville Team 1, “F.R.E.D”
Presentation: Brookville Team 2, “Quad Power”
People’s Choice: Cranberry Team 2 “The Couch Collector”

6th – 8th Grade Division

First Place: Keystone “SP Fridget Spinner”
Team Members: Amanda Reyes, Bella Black, Drew Slaugenhaupt, Jonathan Hansford
Team Advisors: Jason Best

Second Place: Franklin, “Solar Powered Composting Garbage Can”
Third Place: Cranberry Team 1 “The Great Divide”
Creativity: Clarion “The Goodbye, Gluten”
Blueprint: Franklin “Solar Powered Composting Garbage Can”
People’s Choice: Brookville Team 1 “Dirt Buster”

The first place team from each of the two divisions (4th — 5th grade and 6th — 8th grade) will represent Riverview IU6 and their district at the state competition to be held at Harrisburg University in May 2018.

Riverview IU6 would like to thank Lorraine Shaffer from Kids Love Engineering for setting up the Makerspace stations and to the judges Jack Matson, Jefferson County Commissioner; Laura Reasoner Jones, Founder of Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS) Club; Lorraine Shaffer with Kids Love Engineering; and Sarah Burke, Penn State Extension Assistant for joining us for the day.