Letter to teachers
2011 Tulsa Engineering Challenge
Tulsa Technology Center – Riverside Campus
DATE: TBD (March-April, 2011 time period)
We are very excited that you are participating in this year’s TulsaEngineering Challenge (TECh). We have compiled the following notes regarding this year’s event. Please read them carefully! There are certain new policies and procedures that you must know and follow.
Directions: The Tulsa Technology Center (TTC) is located in Jenks on the west side of the Arkansas River. The closest major intersection is at 91st and Elwood. There are direction signs on all major roads that are near TTC. Look for signs that direct you to either the R. L. Jones Riverside Airport or the Tulsa Technology Center (These are next to each other).
Drop Off Location: Please use the West Entrance to TTC off of 91st Street. After you turn onto 91st Street, you will see the Technology Center Campus on your left. At the first entrance, you will see a sign that reads West Entrance. Turn left at this entrance and head straight towards the Center, which will be on your right. Turn right onto the road that runs in front of the Center. Drop students off at the front door. Once inside the building, please follow the arrows to the South Hanger, where all TECh activities will take place. This is the same door and location for students to load back onto the busses. Please note classes are going on so please keep the noise down outside the hanger.
Bus Parking: After the busses drop off their students, the drivers are asked to take the busses around and park in the South lot.
Note: classes are in session, so please park busses as near to 91st Street as possible to allow other cars to use the lot.
Registration Check-in: Come up the main steps into the lobby to register. DO NOT GO STRAIGHT TO THE HANGAR! Only a designated faculty member or parent will be allowed to pickup the registration packet for your school. No students will be allowed to pickup registration packets. This packet will include scorecards for each team. It is the responsibility of the designated person that picks up the packet to distribute the scorecards. Competition times will be assigned on a first come-first served basis.
Registration Hours: Registration will open at 8:30 AM. We anticipate that most teams will arrive between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. If you need to arrive later than 10:30 AM, please let us know in advance so that your students do not miss an opportunity to compete. Judging in each category will be done on a first come-first served basis. We anticipate that most of the judging will wrap up between 12:30PM and 1:00PM.
Competition Rules: WE HAVE SEPARATE DIVISION FOR 6TH GRADE AND UNDER FOR MOST COMPETITIONS. Please verify that the rules your students use have the year 2011 at the top. Rules from other years will not be accepted, and projects conforming to rules other than the rules for 2011 will not be scored (Double check your bridge dimensions). Extreme Engineering and the Academic Olympiad have time constraints of one hour and will be monitored by the judges.
Other Activities:This is the third year for three events: Extreme Engineering, Academic Olympiad, and the Digital Poster competition. All will require pre-registration. Besides the thirteen (13) events that require pre-registration, there will also be some hands on activities the day of the event in which all students are encouraged to participate: Aluminum Boat, Mini-Math, and Chemical Magic Show. These will all be walk up activities although students are asked to get a score card from the registration desk.
Concession Stand: Throughout the event, there will be concessions for the students and adults (9am-2pm). A full meal will cost no more than $5. Individual concession items will not be more than $1 each. We will still provide a hospitality room for teachers and volunteers on the upper floor with coffee and pastries. There will not be a lunch this year.
RULES OF CONDUCT: Unruly behavior is not acceptable! The purpose of TECh is to expose students to the exciting world of science and engineering. Engineers and Scientists in the real world are expected to behave in a professional manner. Therefore, we also expect the students to behave appropriately. Please help us keep your students occupied in a constructive manner throughout the competition. There will be plenty of exhibits and activities to keep them busy throughout the day.
If students are observed behaving inappropriately or unruly, TECh staff will reserve the right to ask for their name at which point they will be disqualified from all events. If a student is disqualified and they are part of a team, the team’s project risks being disqualified as well.
Teachers – Please inform your students of this rule and the consequences. Students must also remain in areas that are designated for the Tulsa Engineering Challenge. These areas include the South Hangar and the Classrooms designated for TECh events. Student restrooms will be available in the hangar, in the Mini-Math Classroom and in the hallway near the entrance. All other areas are off limits to Challenge participants. Students roaming the halls or other parts of the facility unescorted will not be tolerated and could be grounds for disqualification. Classes are occurring on the day of the event and students need to remain quiet in transitioning to the hangar. This is for the students’ safety!
If everyone follows the rules this will be an exciting and rewarding experience for all participants.
OTHER NOTES
Teachers/Parents/Guardians: To promote parent/student interaction and to help keep students under control, we strongly encourage parents and guardians to accompany their students to the event. The Challenge can be just as rewarding for parents as it is for students. For security reasons all parents/guardians must check in at the registration desk. Please submit a final registration document to the registration desk (number of students at the event) on the day of the event. Please see attached form for format.
Awards: Due to the number of students and complexity of scoring/judging the various events, most awards will be made after the competition. Competition results will be posted to the web site as soon as possible after the event. Prize money and award certificates will be sent to each school’s faculty representative. Please double check your registration information!
Questions/Comments: We are always looking for comments on things to add and/or improve. Feel free to e-mail us any thoughts you might have. Also, if you have any questions you may e-mail those to us as well. Our e-mail address is techallenge@yahoo.com.
Emergency Contact: On the day of the event, if you have questions or problems getting to the event, please call Chriss Chavez, 2011 TECh Chair, at (918) 408-5643. Please note this number will only be valid the day of the event.
Web Site: Can link from www.tulsaengineer.org.
Again, Thank You Teachers/Parents: We know how overloaded and under funded schools are today. We also know how hard it is for you to participate in events like this, due to the ever-increasing demands placed on teachers. We thank you and know some day your students will thank you. I, like many others, personally appreciate the teachers that fostered my curiosity in science and engineering and we look forward to providing you the best possible event.
We are confident that our program and efforts will help develop our youth to become engineers and scientists from A to Z for the future of Oklahoma!
Happy Engineering,
Chriss Chavez, 2011 TECh Chair
