Photos by Angelica Ramos
Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG- Members of Virginia Tech’s Chi Epsilon Fraternity showed Christiansburg Primary second graders the joy of engineering on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
Virginia Tech’s Chi Epsilon Fraternity, the National Civil Engineering Honor Society, visited Christiansburg Primary this past Thursday to show Mrs. Meadows and Mrs. Monceaux’s second grade classes what a civil engineer does and encourage interest in STEM. The Chi Epsilon students started with a presentation of what a Civil Engineer does and pictures of what they have personally worked on, this showed the second graders the different types of civil engineering. The Virginia Tech students explained that civil engineers often work in teams to build things like schools, parking garages, sewer systems, bridges and many other things that young people see daily.
The Chi Epsilon students made a makeshift bridge out of paper and tape and asked the Christiansburg Primary students if they’ve ever driven across a bridge in a car before. When most of the students said “yes”, Chi Epsilon explained that Civil Engineers can help to build bridges so that the bridges don’t move and are sturdy enough to withstand potential damage from storms, earthquakes and other factors that could destroy them. The second graders were interested in the presentation from the college students as well as the demonstration of the paper bridge. However, when the second graders learned they were going to build towers out of spaghetti noodles and marshmallows, one of the first questions asked was, “Can we eat the marshmallows?” The Virginia Tech students and the second grade teachers explained that the marshmallows were for building, not for consumption, as they would probably get dirty from all the hand touching them.
The rules for tower building was that the second graders had to build the tallest tower they could that could stand for at least five seconds out of the materials given to them. With excitement, the second graders began with sketching out ideas on paper provided by the Chi Epsilon students. They huddled together in groups of two or three, after the Chi Epsilon students explained that engineers work best in teams, and listened to each other’s ideas. After a few minutes for the second graders to think, the spaghetti and marshmallows were passed out and then it was time to see if the sketches would work or if they were possible to make with what materials they had.
As the second graders were building their towers, they not only practiced their communication skills, but also their teamwork, their creativity and learned about how basic shapes help build structures.
The marshmallow and spaghetti towers took on many shapes and sizes. Most that successfully stood for five seconds were one- or two-story structures. Students had their teachers and the Chi Epsilon students to ask for help and advice. Most of the structures fell, but the rule of the exercise was for them to stand for five seconds.
