Coastal Bend Engineering Competition

The Coastal Bend Engineering Competition was held February 24, 2023, at the Island Hall gym at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The event was sponsored by Valero and the TAMU-CC College of Engineering and Computer Science. The goal of the competition is to get students in grades 6-12 interested in the engineering field through participation in fun hands-on activities that use the engineering design process. This year’s competition consisted of building a glider and flying it from the second floor of the gym; the winning team was the one whose glider flew the farthest.

“This hands-on experience allows students to learn the importance of teamwork, leadership, and collaboration,” said Anya Carlson ’25, civil engineering major. “Competitions such as this are vital to the growth of a student, allowing them to identify their strengths and continue to build their skill set.” 

Teams of students designed their glider using balsa wood, paper, binder clips, paper clips, double-sided sticky tape, and measuring tape. They built their glider and tested its strength and distance by safely throwing it from the second floor of the gym.

“Events like this are the most fun when you collaborate with your team and are welcome to new ideas,” Carlson said. “TAMU-CC hosts various engineering competitions and opportunities to get a glimpse of engineering and see all that the college offers. The benefits of being a part of this distinguished program are exemplified at events like this.”

High school level winners included:

• First place — Team Goblins from Sinton High School with a flying distance of 51.2 feet
• Second place — Team Los Bois from Flour Bluff High School with a flying distance of 45 feet
• Third place — Team Women in STEM from Gregory-Portland High School with a flying distance of 34 feet.

Middle school level awards included:

• First place — Team Pink from Kaffie MS with a flying distance of 22 feet and 7 inches
• Second place — Team Cornbread from Miller-Metro Prep School of Design Team with at flying distance of 17 feet and 9 inches
• Third place — Team Tophie-Velvon-Ly from Miller-Metro Prep School of Design with a flying distance of 15 feet and 2 inches.