OPPD asking 5th graders to channel their inner engineers next week

Next week, we celebrate National Engineer’s Week. Its purpose is to increase understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. The Omaha Public Power District’s Society of Engineers is asking grade schoolers to put their problem-solving skills to the test by participating in the 13th annual Marshmallow Challenge. 

The contest, open to teams of fifth graders throughout our 13-county service territory, encourages students to work together and find innovative solutions to a tricky and sticky build. They’re tasked with building the tallest free-standing structure they can within 20 minutes using only the following materials: 

• 20 full pieces of spaghetti
• Standard sized spaghetti
• One standard sized marshmallow (approximately 1” by 1.25”)
• No mini or jumbo marshmallows
• Cannot be cut or reduced in size
• One yard (36”) of standard masking tape
• One yard (36”) of string 
• Structures must be constructed on a table or desktop and able to support the weight of the marshmallow on top using only the provided materials. The tallest structure, by perpendicular distance from the tabletop to the top of the marshmallow, will be declared the winner.  

The three teams with the tallest structures, and the team with the most creative structure, will win a class visit from an OPPD employee talk about engineering careers. 

To participate, students must submit a group photo with their structure, along with its height, to the Marshmallow Challenge link on OPPD’s Facebook page. Entries are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, and winners will be announced Friday, March 13.  

The Marshmallow Challenge is part of OPPD’s ongoing commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. For additional information, visit OPPD.com/MarshmallowChallenge.