Seven student teams at Missouri S&T brought imagination and engineering together on April 29 during the Miner Creativity Challenge finals.

The Miner Creativity Challenge invites S&T students to design and build interactive toys that promote STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) learning for children ages 8–11. Seven teams spent weeks developing hands-on concepts that were later tested by local elementary students. The event is sponsored by Kummer Student Programs, with S&T’s Makers Studio providing resources for the teams.  

“This challenge shows students how to design with purpose,” says Matthew Dalton, makers studio coordinator and event director at S&T. “Seeing kids enjoy those ideas is what makes this experience so great for everyone.”

First place from both the judges and the kid’s choice award went to team “Cymatic Sandbox,” earning a combined total award amount of $4,000. The toy, a cymatic generator, lets kids create colorful patterns by using sound vibrations to turn science into visual art.

Members of the team are:

• Sophia Williams, a senior in computer engineering 
• Klajdi Hysenaj, a graduate student in mechanical engineering 
• Noah Johnson, a junior in mechanical engineering 

Second place from the judges went to team “Magna-Ball,” earning $2,000. The toy is a STEAM kit that teaches students the basics of magnetism and polarity through a tabletop game they can play solo or with others.

Members of the team are:

• Riley Palm, a junior in architectural engineering
• Patrick Bryant, a senior in civil and architectural engineering 
• Brendan Lowther, a junior in mechanical engineering 

Third place from the judges went to team “Floating Cars,” earning $1,000. The toy is a hands-on STEAM kit where students build a magnetic levitation track and use magnets to make a car float and glide.

Members of the team are:

• Nuzaer Omar, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science 
• Rasman Mubtasim Swargo, a graduate student in computer science 
• Mizanur Rahman Jewel, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science 
• Wazih Tausif, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering 
• Sadia Islam, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science 

Second place for the kid’s choice awards for $750 went to team “Robot Arm,” which is a hands-on kit where kids build and control a robotic arm that mirrors their movements and can record and replay actions for creative projects. 

Members of the team are:

• Parker Gammon, a sophomore in computer engineering 
• Parker McCreary, a sophomore in computer engineering 
• Miguel Consuelos, a sophomore in mechanical engineering

Third place for the kid’s choice awards for $500 went to team “Twinkle Tunes,” which is a smart musical toy that lets kids create music and see it as sound vibrations from patterns in sand. Members of the team are:

• Nazish Khalid, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering
• Jiali Zhang, a graduate student in applied mathematics 
• Insha Yaqoob Sheikh, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering 
• Ehsan Soleimani, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering 

The people’s choice awards, which were voted on by the campus community, were won by team “Floating Cars” for a $500 award.

Thank you to the judges of the Miner Creativity Challenge:

• Cheyenne Raker Townson, toy and game inventor at Connetix
• Dr. Daniel Reardon, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
• Dr. Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, professor of geology and geophysics
• Justin Sanders, program director for K-12 engagement, Kummer Center for STEM Education
• Dr. Michael Davis, interim chair and an associate professor of economics