SBE has some fun meeting students at the 2024 Windstorm Challenge

The Matthew R. Simmons Windstorm Challenge, hosted by the University of Maine at the Harold Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory, is the ASCC’s investment in Maine’s next generation of innovators, engineers, and clean energy champions. This annual STEM carnival invites student teams to engage in a hands-on experience that combines engineering, innovation, and a commitment to sustainable energy solutions.

Other departments such as SBE host information tables and offer fun activities for the students and their teachers. At the SBE table, Angela Mech and Phil Fanning showed off insect collections and a jar of live browntail moth caterpillars, while Erin Grey chatted with visitors about biodiversity, genetics, and eDNA. Undergraduate coordinator Ann Dieffenbacher-Krall and admin/adjunct Peg Killian had one of the SBE anatomy torsos available, and challenged bystanders to reassemble the organs correctly in the shortest amount of time. 

Our winner was Stephan Mladek of Caribou Community School, with a time of 33.82 seconds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Runners-up, in order of shortest time to longest, were as follows (we just got first names for these):

Mei Lin and Ella at 0:41.91

Maizlyn at 1:31.68

Trevor at 1:26.70

Our own Phil Fanning at 1:35.55

Marilyn at 1:49.94

Benson at 2:11.90

Jeremy and Anna at 2:12.33

Marc and Miss Mason at 2:46.95

Barrett at 2:50.40

Evan, Bryson, Mathias and Josh at 2:51.50

Lauren and Tiarrah at 3:31.18

Alex, Rachel and Jessica at 3:37.37

Rayna and Dakota at 4:04.68

Will and Daphne at 4:25.25

Kyndrah and Jade at 4:43.31

Jim at 4:46.82

Andrew and Pierce at 4:58.33

MOST CREATIVE REASSEMBLY: Crimmson

and Coolest T-Shirt of a Contestant: River

Congratulations to you all! Thanks for playing and we look forward to seeing you at UMaine again!