Inside the PASCO Cup 2022 Structures Competition
In Taiwan, dozens of students competed to be named Champion of the 2022 PASCO Cup. Hosted by our partners at KYS Education, the annual structures competition invites students from across Taiwan to design, build, and test their way to an engineering victory using PASCO Structures Systems.
In years past, the PASCO Cup competition has filled rooms with groups of bustling engineering students and research-grade shake tables. In the interest of health, this year’s students participated virtually, submitting their creations in videos that showcased each team’s unique hotel model.
The winners of this year’s Creative Structures Competition were announced March 11th in remembrance of the historical earthquake and resulting tsunami that shook Japan on March 11, 2011. In total, teams from thirteen schools competed, submitting spectacular structures that ranged from elegant circular hotels to multi-floor suites.
But the entries weren’t just beautiful, they were structurally sound, too. Students used a combination of smartphone accelerometers, SPARKvue software, Load Cells, and other materials to assess their structures under varying conditions; then presented their results to the panel. Each entry was judged by professors from Cheng Kung University based on three criteria: structural safety, creativeness, and appearance.
Students submitted structures with astonishing accuracy and attention to detail. Beyond showcasing their spectacular structural stability, many students crafted realistic furniture and pools to bring their visions to life.
After fierce competition, the judges awarded the Champion title to students from Jui-Fang Industrial High School. Their entry, Kong Fang, features a beautifully crafted arc hotel inspired by the Kong-fang coin, a copper coin used in ancient Chinese history.
What really impressed the judges was the students' diligent structural testing. Centered around earthquake-proof design principles, Kong Fang was also shown to be structurally sound in a series of experiments performed by the designers.
The 2022 PASCO Cup received some of the most impressive entries in the competition's history, a testament to the skill, dedication, and creatively of both the student designers and their project coaches. Check out highlights from this year's entries in the video below and visit the 2022 PASCO Cup website for more information about this annual event.