Have you ever visited a science or engineering museum? Well, the IBM EWeek Design Challenge 2005 provided students with the opportunity to design and build an exhibit for a science museum.

The IBM EWeek Design Challenge organizing committee envisioned a FICTIONAL science museum which we called the "Watson Hall of Science and Engineering". As in previous Design Challenges, teams from middle schools were evaluated on various criteria by a panel of judges. This year, the judging featured a new "twist" in that the judges were the first visitors to our FICTIONAL museum.

• Introduction
• Types of Exhibits
• Detailed Deliverables and Guidelines
• Restrictions and Conditions
• Judging
• Scores Consist of
• Prizes
• Timetable Review
• Useful Information and Websites
• Contact Information

We accepted 13 middle school (grades 6, 7 and 8) registrants, and each school brought only one team.

Introduction

Watson Hall of Science and Engineering Explore the wonder and excitement of science and engineering! On May 4th, 2005, the new (and fictional) Watson Hall of Science and Engineering hosted its gala opening at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. We needed exhibits! With middle school students designing and constructing the exhibits, we filled the hall for the opening event. Geared towards educating elementary and middle school students in science and engineering, the Watson Hall of Science and Engineering provided an entertaining and interactive exhibit hall populated with students' ideas! Each team designed and constructed an interactive exhibit, including a model and a poster display, which conveyed some significant scientific or engineering principle in an educational and entertaining way. At the opening event on May 4th, 2005, each team was responsible to enthusiastically help the visitors (a.k.a. the Eweek Design Challenge judges) understand the significance of that team's exhibit and share with them the wonder and excitement of science and engineering. Each member (three students and one mentor) of the winning teams received a portable DVD player!! The teams utilized poster displays and models to explain the principle/s of their exhibits demonstrated their models instructed the visitors (EWeek Design Challenge judges) in the hands-on aspect of operating their exhibits answered any questions posed by the visitors (Eweek Design Challenge judges).

Types of Exhibits

The Watson Hall of Science and Engineering sought exhibits from engineering and science disciplines including, but not limited to the following themes

• Mechanics: pulleys, levers, strength of structures (bridges)
• Physics: gravity, conservation of momentum, light phenomena, sound (music), astronomy (celestial motion)
• Mathematics: optimization, geometric principles, probability (genetics)
• Computer Science: computations, algorithms
• Electricity: batteries, LEDs, circuits
• Magnetism: levitation systems
• Materials: strength, properties
• Chemistry: electroplating, catalysts, color, pH, chromatography

Detailed Deliverables and Guidelines

1. Teams were made up of 3 middle school students (i.e. grades 6,7 & 8) and 1 mentor (i.e., teacher, teacher's aide, parent). Each school nominated one team.
2. Teams chose an exhibit theme that was
   • educational and could be demonstrated in an interactive and entertaining fashion
   • at an appropriate educational level for them, so that they could understand it and effectively explain it to the judges
   • at an appropriate educational level for the intended audience of elementary and/or middle school students that the judges are representing
3. Teams submitted their proposed exhibit themes by Monday 03/07/05 to the IBM EWeek Design Challenge 2005 organizing committee. For safety reasons, it was imperative that we pre-approve all proposed exhibits. We communicated our decisions to the team mentors within one week.
   
4. Once each exhibit was approved by the IBM EWeek Design Challenge committee, the team was asked to submit an essay by Monday 04/04/05. The essay included these three elements:
   • A brief description (500-1000 words) defining the scientific or engineering principle and how it is demonstrated by the exhibit
   • List of contributors to the project and their responsibilities
   • A source list (bibliography) that contains at least 3 authoritative sources that were used in the project
   The essay had to be received by IBM no later than Monday 04/04/05.
   (The essay's three elements, as well as submitting on time, contributed to each team's overall score.)


5. Building the exhibit, which included the interactive model and the poster display.
   • Model should be
   • an interactive/hands-on, physical (not virtual) representation of the scientific or engineering principle that it embodies
   • safely usable by the judges
   • intended for repeated use; if it uses consumable components, there should be sufficient consumable components for 10 people to try it, along with whatever else needed to set up the exhibit.
   • Poster display should
   • describe the science and/or engineering portrayed in the exhibit
   • use an aesthetically pleasing and creative design (including font size, layout, etc) intended for viewing by multiple people standing in front of the exhibit
6. Presentation of the exhibits to each team of judges at the EWeek Design Challenge "Watson Hall of Science and Engineering Gala Opening" on May 4th.
   The presentation consists of
   • Demonstrating the science and/or engineering principle by using the interactive model and poster display
   • Accurately explaining the science and/or engineering principle to the judges who are representing the intended audience (elementary and/or middle school students)
   • Answering questions from the judges about the exhibit
   • Each team had approximately 3-5 minutes for the presentation and questions for each team of judges
(Note that all student members of the team were expected to contribute to the presentation made to the judges.)

Restrictions and conditions

• For safety reasons, each model could not include the use of open flame, explosives, radiation, living organisms (animals, insects, bacteria, viruses, plants, etc)
• YThe exhibit was intended for use by children, so safety was paramount
• The model and poster display had to be conceptualized and constructed by the student members of the team, with guidance from the team mentor
• Should a team choose to use a computer in its exhibit, its application was either to enhance or support the overall physical model
• The model and poster display had to either fit on a table (nominally 30" deep by 50" wide by 36" high) or stand on the floor (and be less than nominally 30" deep by 50" wide by 72" high)
• The model could incorporate electric, electronic and/or software elements
• The total cost of all materials used to construct the model could not exceed $100 (both hardware and software)
• Tools used for construction were not subject to the $100 budget limit. Such tools might include wood or metal shop tools, personal computers and/or the application software (e.g. editors and compilers) used to construct the model
• Software components (if present) were to be used in a way that demonstrates significant creative design effort

Judging

• Overall exhibit
1. The originality and creativity in exhibit's portrayal of the scientific and engineering concepts exhibited by the model
2. The applicability to the intended audience of elementary and/or middle school students
3. The educational value offered by the exhibit
4. The entertainment value offered by the exhibit
• Presentation
1. The teams's level of understanding of the principle the exhibit portrayed
2. The team's ability to communicate this understanding through the use of its interactive model and poster display
3. The level of teamwork exhibited by the team (e.g., did everyone contribute equally?)
• Model
1. The level of interaction offered by the model
2. The level and quality of construction of the model
3. The level of robustness (ability for repeated use) demonstrated by the model

Scores consisted of

• 85 points: At the event itself, the exhibit, presentation, and model contributed up to 85 points of a team's overall potential score of 100 points.
• 15 points: Prior to the EWeek Design Challenge event, the submission of 1) the proposed exhibit theme as well as 2) the essay contributed up to a total of 15 points to the team's overall score.

Prizes

Timetable Review

• January 31st, 2005 - Registration closed
• March 7th, 2005 - Submission of theme was due
• April 4th, 2005 - Submission of essay was due
• May 4th, 2005 (Wednesday) - The challenge was held at IBM.

Useful Information and Websites

• N.Y. Hall of Science
• Ontario Science Centre
• San Francisco Exploratorium
• Franklin Institute in PA
• Liberty Science Center in NJ
• The Tech Museum of Innovation in CA

1. Gardner, Robert. Light, Sound, and Waves Science Fair Projects: Using Sunglasses, Guitars, Cds, and Other Stuff. Enslow Publishers, 2004
2. Phillips, Greg, Lorraine Hoffman and Janet Ambrust. Middle School Science Fair Projects. Instructional Fair/Ts Denison, 1997
3. Rhatigan, Joe and Heather Smith. Sure-to-Win Science Fair Projects. Lark, 2002

Lisa Costantino

The Watson Hall of Science and Engineering is a FICTIONAL entity used as the theme for EWeek 2005.

Top two teams selected by judges

• Louis M. Klein MS, Harrison, NY
• St. Ann's Parish School, Ossining, NY

Teams selected by the student participants as the "People's Choice"

• Paul Dunbar MS 301, Bronx, NY
• Mildred E. Strang MS, Yorktown Hts., NY

Other participating schools

• The Sherman School, CT
• John Jay MS, Katonah-Lewisboro, NY
• Edward Bleeker JHS 185, Flushing, NY
• Albert M. Franko MS, Mt. Vernon, NY
• Seven Bridges MS, Chappaqua, NY
• Copper Beech MS, Lakeland, Yorktown Hts., NY
• Pierre Van Cortlandt MS, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
• Scotts Ridge MS, Ridgefield, CT
• Woodlands MS, Hartsdale, NY

Click Here to learn about last year's special event, Future School Design Challenge-2004