Eastern Shore Crab Boat Engineering Challenge | Department of the Built Environment

2018 Competition Recap

2018 Competition pictures posted in our Facebook album!

On Friday April 20, 2018 the 3rd Annual Eastern Shore Boat Engineering challenge was held at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD to promote STEM literacy among grade 9-12 students in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Seven boats and over 30 teachers and students participated in this event! Teams were tasked with creating a remote controlled scaled model of any boat design to their liking. There were two competitions: 1) Speed and Control – Boats had to pass through a course with different size hula hoops in the shortest amount of time possible, and 2) Rescue Mission – Boats had to carry a load of “supplies” to a stranded raft and tow it back to shore as fast as possible. Additionally, teams were judged on their boat design proposals (many used AutoDesk Inventor), a written report showing cost and stability calculations, and sections discussing environmental impacts of boats and a brief history about the type of boat they built. This was a collaborative effort between UMES and UMCES. Representatives from the UMCES helped judge the event and spoke with students about STEM learning opportunities. Kelvin® Educational donated the boat motors used by the schools, and UMES T&E education students and faculty helped facilitate the event and manufactured the award plaques and 3D printed keychains. Participation in this event was FREE thanks to the support of our sponsors, and all participants received lunch and a keychain. More details about the event can be found below.

2018 Results

Award	Location
Speed and Control Challenge Champion	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
Rescue Challenge Champion	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
Best Design	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
Sportsmanship Award	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)

Competition Rules – Updated October 24, 2017
Judging Rubrics – Updated October 24, 2017
Boat Construction Resources
Read the Award Winning Article about the Event
2018 Competition Flyer – Hang in your Classroom or School!

Helpful Teaching Videos

– Naval Architect Video – Encourage Female Student Participation!
– Archimedes’ Principle
– Displacement and Volume
– Cargo Ship Example

Watch the highlights from the 2016 competition!

View Stephen Decatur HS’s experience from the 2017 competition!

View Old Mill HS’s experience from the 2017 competition!

2017 Crab Boat Engineering Challenge

Pictures posted in our Facebook album

Event Details

On Friday April 28, 2017 the 2nd Annual Eastern Shore Crab Boat Engineering challenge was held at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD to promote STEM literacy among grade 9-12 students in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Eight boats and over 50 teachers and students participated in this event! Teams were tasked with designing a remote controlled scaled model of a Chesapeake deadrise crab boat which could collect as many miniature crab baskets as quickly as possible (basket rate). Schools were judged on their boat design proposals, a written report showing calculations and discussing environmental impacts of crabbing, their boat’s performance, and their response to judges’ questions at the event. This event was a collaborative effort between UMES and UMCES. Representatives from the University of Maryland 4-H extension helped judge the boats and spoke with students about additional STEM learning opportunities. Kelvin® Educational donated the boat motors used by the schools, and UMES T&E education students and faculty helped facilitate the event and manufactured the award plaques and 3D printed keychains. Participation in this event was FREE thanks to the support of our sponsors, and all participants received lunch and a keychain. More details about the event can be found below. Schools interested in participating in the 2018 competition should contact Dr. Tyler Love.

2017 Results

Award	Location
Champion	Old Mill High School (Millersville, MD)
Runner Up	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
Best Design	Stephen Decatur High School (Berlin, MD)
Sportsmanship Award	Virginia Beach City Public Schools – Advanced Technology Center (Virginia Beach, VA)

2017 Competition Information

Online Information and Rules Meeting: Watch the recording from Wednesday October 12, 2016. (Will download video as a zip file).
Demonstration and Teacher’s Workshop: January 11, 2017 from 4:30-5:30pm. Join via this link from Blackboard Collaborate.
Team Registration Deadline: February 17, 2017
Written Report and Designs Due: April 21, 2017
Competition: April 28, 2017 from 11am-2pm. Directions to the UMCES Horn Point Lab

Competition Rules – Updated January 3, 2017
Judging Rubrics – Updated January 3, 2017
Boat Construction Resources – Added January 11, 2017
2017 Competition Flyer – Hang in your Classroom!

Helpful Teaching Videos

Naval Architect Video – Encourage Female Student Participation!
Archimedes’ Principle
Displacement and Volume
Cargo Ship Example

2016 Crab Boat Engineering Challenge

Pictures posted in our Facebook album

Event Details

Sponsors

The inaugural Eastern Shore Crab Boat Engineering Challenge was held on Saturday April 23, 2016 from 10am-1pm at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD to promote STEM literacy among grade 9-12 students in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. This event was a collaborative effort between UMES and various organizations. UMCES hosted the event at their beautiful waterfront campus. The Salisbury and Easton Army Recruiting Centers provided funding for the event shirts, assisted with running the event, helped judge, and spoke with students about STEM opportunities in the military. Kelvin® Educational donated the boat motors used by the schools, and the Culinary Arts program at Worcester Technical High School prepared the lunches. UMES T&E education students helped facilitate the event and manufactured the award plaques.

This event was inspired by the Cargo Ship Engineering Challenge that was held for a number of years at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Teachers expressed an interest in holding a similar challenge on the Eastern Shore so that their students could compete in a very STEM-rich engineering competition. This event was situated in the context of something which Maryland students could easily relate – crabbing. It provided a great opportunity to increase interest in STEM at local schools while requiring students to apply their math and science knowledge to design a solution like a real engineer. Teams were tasked with designing a remote controlled scaled model of a Chesapeake deadrise crab boat which could collect as many miniature crab baskets as quickly as possible (basket rate). Schools were judged on their boat design proposals, a written report showing calculations and discussing environmental impacts of crabbing, their boat’s performance, and their response to judges’ questions at the event. Participation in this event was FREE thanks to the support of our sponsors, and all participants received lunch and a shirt. More details about the event can be found in the documents below. Schools interested in participating in the 2017 competition should contact Dr. Tyler Love.