Engineering Club Makes a Splash

12/12/2024

The Engineering Club offered Upper School students a unique design challenge during today’s Admiral Hour.

The Severn Engineering Club made waves with their latest challenge, designed to test students’ creativity and engineering skills with hydrodynamics. The mission? Build a machine capable of traveling down a ramp, through a water trough, and across a finish line—all while stabilizing a small weight.

Engineering Club President Tim Wright ’25 introduced the challenge, which was open to all Upper School students, not just club members. Students then broke off into groups and had only fifteen minutes to conceptualize, build, and test their flying water machines.

Optional obstacles, most notably 3D-printed sharks and a speed bump on the ramp, were offered with time-reduction incentives for groups that chose to use them. Once built, the machines were pushed through the water with an electric fan by Wright.

“Last year, we had a challenge with the water trough,” said Wright. “It was a blast having people work with hydrodynamics. This time, we added a land element and upped the ante with the conflict of a machine that works on land and water.”

The results were as varied as the designs. Teams experimented with everything from ping-pong balls and balloons to makeshift sails, each trying to achieve the perfect balance of buoyancy and aerodynamics. Only a few groups managed to assemble a machine that could survive the drop and make it to the end of the trough. In the end, the winning group used a combination of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic concepts to sail away with the contest. Their impressive sub-six-second time left the other teams in their wake.

Reflecting on the event, Wright declared it a success, highlighting how it brought students together to problem-solve and collaborate. He encouraged anyone curious about engineering or design to join the club.

Wright encourages any student who shares that curiosity to join the Engineering Club. Next week, the club will meet to plan their next challenge, providing even more opportunities for them to showcase their talents.

“Join the club, just go for it,” says Wright. “You don’t need any experience; it’s just fun to hang out with your friends and build things together.”

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