2018 Results

30 students participated in the Forum’s 11th annual Engineers Week Student Competition, “Beach Volleyball,” held on February 21, 2018. The goal of the problem supplied by Fluor Corporation was to build devices to serve and volley a ping pong ball back and forth across the table.

The event sponsored in part by the Fluor Corporation gave the same challenge to its engineers on the same day at its facilities around the world. The competition’s main sponsor is the Rice Global Engineering & Construction Forum and Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering. Rice is the only academic institution that took part in the challenge.

The students, who didn’t have to be engineering majors to enter, did not know what the task would be before arriving for the competition, but quickly became immersed in a flurry of problem solving. With limited time to plan, construct and demonstrate their solutions, all under the watchful eyes of judges, the teams raced the clock and each other.

The lively competition was followed by pizza and soft drinks which were thoroughly enjoyed by competitors and judges alike. Judges from companies sponsoring the Forum participated in the event. Prizes awarded were for First, Second and Third places. Members of student team The Last Poopcleaners won $150 each by placing first with a score of 659 points; MF CAAM RLAs Plus Eric claimed second place money of $100 each with 68 points; and team RCEL placed third with 62 points to win $50 each. To view photos from the event, click here.

1st Place Team: The Last Poopcleaners

team members l-r
Jay Ryu, Dang Jun We, Namgun Kim (not pictured: Stephen Kim)

2nd Place Team: MF CAAM RLAs Plus Eric

team members l-r
Eric Torres, Kevin Peng, Raymond Lau, Jack Trouve

3rd Place Team: RCEL

team members l-r
Will Jones, Emma Baker, Kelsi Wicker, Elizabeth Goodnight