Some of the coolest engineering competitions around aren’t for adults. Seeing children tackle engineering challenges shows you just how much is possible in the minds of young ones who have not yet learned the dubious lesson that there is only one right way to do anything. These 10 coolest competitions include some of the brightest young minds in the world and their creations.
FIRST Lego League
The FIRST Lego League is meant to pique kids’ interest in science and engineering. There is a challenge every year where teams of children have 8 weeks to build a robot that must perform certain tasks in a limited amount of time and to create a solution for a real problem plaguing the world.
Odyssey Of The Mind
The Odyssey of the Mind program spans more than one discipline but its engineering competition has children of various ages work in teams to build mechanical devices to rectify problems. It is an excellent chance for children to use their creativity and to put what they learn about engineering into practice.
FIRST Robotics Competition
This competition declares itself to be a sport for the mind. Students not only end up building their very own robots but they also get to learn from professional engineers. Participation can also lead to a number of college scholarships.
Hydrogen Ambassadors International Competition
This competition centers around hydrogen and fuel cells and accepts participants of all ages. The team with the most ingenious idea wins.
MATE International ROV Competition
The MATE International ROV Competition has competitors building and remotely operating underwater robots. The winners are the ones who build the robots that best meet all the challenges required by competition rules.
RoboCup
The RoboCup competition is actually a collection of competitions where competitors make robots that play soccer. This end goal makes all the engineering work that much more fun.
ExploraVision
This competition encourages children to imagine and create the technology of the future. As with all engineering, the keys are creativity and problem solving. This competition is so popular that it is now entering its 18th year of holding these competitions which just goes to show how every generation is interested in pushing technology to new limits and beyond.
Internet Science And Technology Fair
This competition is inspired by the knowledge that much of the engineering workforce is nearing retirement age. It aims to nurture the engineers of tomorrow by providing them with a forum where they can learn, compete, and apply engineering principles.
Botball
Botball is a competition where students design and build robots to go up against each other in a non-destructive tournament. Robots in this competition are made to function without any remote control.
Future City Competition
The Future City Competition allows students to put engineering skills to use in building what they see as a city of the future. Engineering experts assist students in realizing their visions.
These are the 10 coolest engineering competitions in the world. They are fun and lead young people to careers in engineering. And they show off how kids can often build things most adults can’t.
T Rheinecker enjoys discussing ways to find the best online masters in engineering programs.
