GETTING HIS FEET WET IN ENGINEERING— Allen Cao, a La Jolla High School student, powers across the surface of the SWC pool.
Courtesy photo by Jose Islas
Many believe Jesus could walk on water, but so can some Southwestern College students.
Engineering students strolled across the SWC pool at the MESA Walk on Water Competition.
Secondary and college students built buoyant shoes and used them to “walk” across the pool. Shoes could be as long as eight feet. Use of recyclable items was encouraged and students had a $100 expenditure limit. Awards were given based on creativity, speed and best use of recyclable materials.
Maria-Victoria Charles, chair of the Industry Advisory Board for the San Diego MESA Alliance, said it takes a lot of work to stay above water.
Some water walkers made it across the pool, while others sank at the start. San Diego City College electrical engineering student Justino Guerrero said his team used eco-friendly and inexpensive components.
“The materials we used were foam, wood hinges, duct tape and spray adhesive,” he said.
Charles said the competition is a baptism into science and engineering.
“Success is determined by how many students compete and what students take away from it,” she said. “They’re determined to make sure that what they do makes a difference for them, because like any engineer or scientist, you have a first design and sometimes it doesn’t work. It only gets better when you continue to re-improve it and test it out, and that’s part of how life is.”
Rick Engineering Company won first place in the Recycling category. BattleSHPE came in second, and Seabiscuit third. In the Speed category The Racketeers took first place. Silver Surfers came in at second and Seabiscuit third. First place in creativity was awarded to Silver Surfers, second place went to the American Medical Students Association, and the Rick Engineering Company earned third place.
Charles said everyone seemed excited to be back again for another competition next year.
“After talking with the competitors, they have the desire and they want to come back next year,” she said. “They didn’t realize how difficult it was, but it sparked an interest in them because now they want to win next year.”
Teams that competed this year were The Silver Surfers of San Diego City College, Seabiscuit from the Mesa College Engineering Club, Las Angilas and BattleSHPE from Southwestern College’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, The Racketeers from La Jolla High School, Rick Engineering Company and the American Medical Students Association of San Diego.
