K'Nex STEM Design Challenge
Each year, teams are given the “STEM Design Challenge” to find a solution to an engineering problem. Students work in small teams to design and build their project out of a K’Nex Challenge set. Students are then judged on the following criteria: Creativity, Teamwork, Challenge Success, Design, Presentation, Budget.
2022 K'Nex STEM Design Competition
Infrastructure is the framework of our world. Buildings, roads, and power supplies are part of the infrastructure needs of our society. Your challenge is to improve our transportation system. Think of current transportation systems like air travel, vehicle travel, bicycling, etc. In what ways can they be improved to create a safer, healthier, and cleaner world? Or does your team have an idea for a new transportation system? Create a prototype that shows this improved, or new, transportation system. Demonstrate how your system works by moving a ping pong ball through your prototype.
General Competition Information:
Who: Students in grades 4th-8th
Where:
When:
Registration Deadline:
Please fill out the registration form no later than . You will need to register each team separately. Submission will be open until 11:59 PM on this day.
Important Dates:
Competition Contact:
Judging Criteria:
- Creativity
- Teamwork
- Challenge Success
- Design
- Presentation
Rules:
- A team of 2-4 students will work together on the project.
- This year we are asking students to create their prototype using recyclable materials and/or K’Nex.
- Each team will need to create and submit a design notebook and a blueprint.
- Each team will need to prepare a presentation (max 2 minutes) on their model and how they answered the challenge.
Prototype:
- Teams will answer the challenge by creating a prototype of their idea. This year teams may use recyclable materials or K’Nex pieces.
- Teams may include a backdrop or artwork but judges will not consider this in their scoring.
Presentation:
- Teams are asked to share their ideas in a presentation for the judges.
- Each presentation will be 2 minutes or less.
- Every student on the team should present.
- Judges may ask questions of the team after the presentation.
- Resources for Presentation Videos
Competition Resources:
Design Notebook:
- This should be a journal of the team’s progress from start to finish.
- The Notebook should include elements of the Engineering Design Process.
- Resources for Design notebooks
Blueprint:
A blueprint is a technical drawing or design plan for a project. It is used to represent the final product.
Blueprints for the STEM Design Challenge can be a photo, drawing, cad drawing, online sketch, etc. Be creative!
- Resources for blueprint ideas