November 2, 1998
High schools from Manhattan, Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence and the Kansas City metro area will send teams of students to KU for the contests, which are sponsored by the KU School of Engineering.
In the design competition, student teams will each be given about 1,000 Popsicle sticks, a pound of rubber bands and 30 minutes to build the tallest free-standing tower they can design. Winners will be determined with a load test in which each tower must hold a ream of copy paper for one minute. The tallest tower able to support the paper will win.
The scholastic tournament is the students' chance to experience stress simulation. Physics, math and chemistry tests at introductory and advanced levels will allow students to compare their knowledge with that of their peers before taking the "for-real" SAT and ACT tests required for college admission.
Tours of Learned Hall, the main engineering building at KU, will be offered from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The design competition will begin after opening comments at 10 a.m. and is expected to last 2-1/2 hours. Winners of all contests will be announced at 1 p.m. For a schedule detailing times at which specific teams are designated to build towers, contact Prisella Adams at (785) 864-2934.