L’EGGO MY EGGO
By: Sarah Kay Twine
The Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA) hosted their 2nd Annual Egg-Drop Competition and Fundraiser on Friday, January 31st, 2020 at the University of Arizona. The competition is dual-purposed: (1) to raise money for SEAoA's Annual Student Scholarship given to deserving University of Arizona students interested in structural engineering, and (2) to provide a networking opportunity for professionals and students in the fields of engineering, architecture, and construction. The evening was a fun-filled 'egg'-citing way for teams to take on the great challenge of creating an apparatus to protect a raw chicken egg from cracking when dropped from the second landing (over 35 feet high) of the Civil Engineering courtyard staircase.
Each team, consisting of two professionals and one or two students, was given a bag of the same random materials and had only twenty minutes to hatch an idea and create a device to protect their egg. The competition is intended to parallel that of the structural engineering world, to protect the public (the egg) and to provide an economical (light weight) design.
Some teams designed a parachute to slow the fall while others chose materials to absorb the impact. A few decided to combine both concepts. As the deadline approached, some teams were scrambling to finish while others patiently waited to show off their design. All teams had great 'egg'-spectations for their personal creations.
After the twenty minutes were up, each device was weighed before it was dropped. The winner would be the lightest device to sustain the drop resulting in an unbroken egg. Audible "oooohhhs" and "aaahhhhhs" followed with applause filled the courtyard after each successive team had "l'eggo their eggo" from the stair landing. A SEAoA judge meticulously determined whether each egg was un-cracked, cracked (no leaking), or completely obliterated. After 13 dropped eggs, 6 eggs were un-cracked, 4 were cracked, and 3 had been annihilated. Team 5 crushed the competition with an apparatus weighing 79 grams (31 grams less than the previous year’s winner). The winners included two University of Arizona civil engineering students: Adam Bishop and Sergio Corona, and two Professionals from M3 Engineering and Technology Corp.: Allan Ortega and Austin Urton. The winners each received a $50 Amazon Gift Card.
In addition to all of the fun and networking, there were some awesome raffle prizes donated by our sponsors. The event was a huge success, and approximately $1150 was raised for the students! SEAoA would like to extend a special thank you to the University of Arizona ASCE Executive Team, and Jessica Carson, S.E., from Martin, White & Griffis, for creating this event last year and lending a hand this year. SEAoA would also like to thank all of the 2020 sponsors:
Event Sponsors:
Coreslab Structures (ARIZ), Inc.
DPR Construction
HDR
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
Restruction Corporation
Structural Concepts, Inc.
Swaim Associates, Ltd.
Local Raffle Sponsors:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ
Roadhouse Cinemas
Golf N' Stuff
Culinary Dropout
