While most of America has bundled up for the brisk autumn climate, it’s warm weather and sunny skies out in San Diego, California for the 2015 MESA Alliance Walk on Water Competition!
Our very own DSG Club members at Granger Jr High School with the Chula Vista Promise Neighborhoods plunged into the daunting challenge of designing and building “buoyancy shoes” that can support the weight of an individual and allow them to “walk on water” from one end of a pool to the other.
Needless to say, it was a day of great anticipation when it was time to “test the waters” with their designs. There were over 100 participants from several high schools and even universities!
Here’s what DSG club leader, Adan Escobedo, had to say about his team:
“The students did well, especially with the limited resources. Out of all the colleges, high schools, and middle schools that participated (totaling up to 16+ teams), only three managed to complete the course. Out of those three, two of them were colleges. This states how tough the event really was. Granger held their own with the designs being able to support students’ weight in water for a long period of time (most schools couldn’t get that far). But with very little time to practice, it was unfortunately a matter of strength that derailed us from complete victory.”
Nonetheless, this brings to mind the good ole Design Squad Global motto, “Fail Fast, Succeed Sooner.” It’s about the process and what you have learned through it, not just about the results.
Granger team, just in case you haven't figured it out already (which I'm sure you have):
You had an awesome time working together in teams, brainstorming wild ideas, sketching out designs, building some pretty neat inventions, and testing them out too (hope the water wasn’t too cold!). If there is ever another competition (which there will be), you’ll be better prepared by knowing what works and what doesn’t, have ideas on how to improve your designs and even apply those ideas to other challenges, and best of all you’ll have another chance at victory! Not being afraid to “Fail Fast, Succeed Sooner” is the best way to ensure that you’ll have incredible experiences worth remembering. We are sure that the Walk on Water Challenge will be a treasured memory that you will keep for a lifetime.
Speaking of the design process, an article from the San Diego MESA Alliance published shortly after the event stated the following:
“The competition allows students to gain experience at applying the engineering design process and solving open-ended problems.”
Simply stated, this is what kids experience every day with DSG!
To commend Adan for his ingenuity, he came up with a great way of using what the kids learned about the design process through Design Squad Global and helped them apply it to their other projects. When inquiring about how DSG impacted the kids’ experience with this particular project, Adan replied,
“This experience is a testament to how great the design process is, as the students would not have been able to go as far as they did without following the process.”
So we ask you, are there opportunities like this one to get your DSG club involved in applying their design process skills to problem-solving challenges in your community?
Are there ways that you can stretch their thinking and develop their problem-solving abilities even further?
Congratulations Granger students! We are so impressed!
We hope this experience has only inspired you further to explore unchartered waters, take on challenging endeavors, and not be afraid to swim a little before getting back up again and going for the finish! We’re confident that with a little gumption and much perseverance, you’ll be able to do anything, even walk on water!
Ready to take the plunge?! Find out how you can inspire a Walk on Water challenge in your community by reading more about the event here:
http://alliance.sdccmesa.com/archives/7097
Can you spot the Granger DSG club members in the races? Wow look at them go!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNNs62WOgDiRXRBPdU2cpQNZvq4sun6MN
Comments
Absolutely brilliant!!!