The resident assistants involved in the creation of this program were having a discussion one night about fun things that they did throughout their middle and high school years. One of the things that they both greatly enjoyed was taking part in technology and science competitions. The resident assistants decided that the residents might enjoy re-visiting this style of competition through an all-hall activity.

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In order to build community, resident assistants took great care to make sure that there were teams with residents from each floor in the building. Each team was academically diverse; majors included, but were not limited to Technology, Engineering, Accounting and Management. Planning began several weeks prior to the program, it was discussed where and when the event was to take place, what activities would be completed, how each activity would be judged, and what the prizes for each activity would be. The first activity was an egg drop in which residents were provided with a limited amount of materials which they used to engineer and craft a device to prevent an egg from breaking after a six story fall from the top of a parking garage. Materials Provided: 1 Cardboard Box, 15 Cotton Balls, 4 Sandwich Bags, 2 Bread Slices, 1 foot String or Yarn,1 Roll Duct Tape, 4 Balloons, 4 Springs, 1 Orange, Glue, 4 Straws, Scissors, 4 Chop-Sticks, 1 Sponge, 1 Foam Block, 10 Q-Tips, 10 Pennies, 5 Index Cards, 5 Paper Clips, Paper (1 sheet), 2 pencils, 2 paper cups, 4 rubber bands. Solutions differed greatly, but were all creative. An example of this can be seen by the first and second place team. One of which used a parachute in order to slow the egg down as much as possible, the other tied an orange to the bottom of their device to help it fall faster and in the correct direction. The second activity challenged residents to compete to create the tallest possible tower out limited materials. Residents were given extra points if they were able to incorporate a ping pong ball into their design in a creative way. Materials Provided: 1 sheet (11x17) paper, 1 roll clear tape, 5 Paper Clips, Scissors, Ruler, 1 Sharpened Pencil, 4 Unsharpened Pencils, 1 Ping Pong Ball, 1 foot string

Many teams struggled to get a sturdy tower that would survive for longer than a few seconds with a ping pong ball teetering from the top. The winning team’s tower almost touched the ceiling with a height of 92inches! Teams were scored on teamwork, creativity, competition, and even team name. The cumulative score and winning teams were determined using a scoring rubric. Prizes consisted of $10 gift cards which could be redeemed at Purdue University vendors. Many residents chose to use their prizes to purchase food.

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The goal of this program was to promote teamwork through an enjoyable project. Purdue works to promote multidisciplinary collaboration. Many times, in industry and in the educational research setting, productivity is lost because the correct people are not communicating in an effective manner. This program served to help build valuable communication skills. People with differing backgrounds worked towards a common goal, each person contributing something valuable and unique.

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This program proved to be a great activity that solidified friendships among the residents of each floor. The residents practiced and gained skills associated with multidisciplinary collaboration. Even after the activity, residents take great pleasure discussing their creative use of the obscure materials that were provided to them. Friendships were built, and residents developed a respect for and understanding of the diverse skill set of their peers. They learned that when a challenge is taken on by different minds with different viewpoints, exceptional achievement is possible

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Residents took great pleasure in the program, and each person got to stand out and contribute in their own way. Some residents used creative skill, others helped to make sure time was managed properly, and some even devised mathematical equations in order to analyze and interpret different solutions and possibilities. Our residential life manager and General Manager attended the program and they enjoyed viewing the highly creative and differing approaches to the problems. They were able to help with the scoring of the projects. Many times the only interaction that the administration will have with the residents is through disciplinary procedures. This program was a unique chance to allow the administration the ability to work with the residents in a friendly non-disciplinary setting. No two teams had a similar project; they were competing using totally different ideas and designs. Teams realized at times that they needed more of a certain material than what they were provided. Teams were allowed to help each other and to exchange and trade materials where it proved useful. It was good to see teams interacting in a positive way even though they were involved in competition.

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Implementing this program at any campus would be relatively easy. Although this program takes some planning initially by the organizing resident assistants, it is great community building educational activity. The supplies can be relatively inexpensive, and the more random the materials are, the more creativity is required for the project. We were careful in purchasing materials to make sure that we weren’t thinking about how they might be used, we wanted our materials to be very random in order to force teams to be more creative. Considering the height of the structure that the egg containment device will be dropped from, planners may want to include more or less materials. This program at any campus will allow people of differing background to come together and learn the importance of skill sets other than their own. Regardless of the backgrounds and majors of the participants, they will all have different ideas and skills that they will bring to the table. An important part of education at any campus is learning to work in diverse teams; this program helps to build teamwork as it promotes healthy friendships through competition.

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