Science of engineering a standout solution
16 Oct 2024
By discovering how many airships it would take to replace the Cook Strait ferries, four innovative thinkers from Christ’s College have landed the runner-up spot in the New Zealand Engineering Science Competition.
Combining their mathematical, physics, and computer skills, Year 12 student Aaron Kwak, and Year 13 students Nick Sharr, Harry Vaughan, and Angus Whitteker have found a clever formula to work out the right solution to this year’s challenge.
An annual event, the University of Auckland competition brings together some of the brightest minds from across the country, challenging teams of four to engage in a full day of problem-solving. More than 280 teams from various schools across the country vie for the top honours. This year, students have been asked: ‘How many airships would it take to replace the Cook Strait ferries?’
“Being given a question involving so many different variables was admittedly a challenge, but we were all able to play to our strengths and work together to produce a quality report,” Aaron says of the competition.
Nick adds that team members “were able to use the experience we gained from competing last year”.
“And we hope to support future College teams in the coming years through this result,” he says following the test of mental and physical stamina.
For Angus, the competition “is truly an exceptional opportunity for all involved”.
“Foremost, it is a platform to consider more abstract and diverse problems while keeping to an academic and productive environment.”
Meanwhile, Harry has relished the chance to compete with a group of his peers.
“It was a great experience joining the team this year and spending the day collaborating to solve this challenging problem,” he says. “It also required much stamina and determination, taking about eight hours to find the final solution, and we were all delighted when we submitted our work.”
The team wishes to thank College teachers Emma Bracken and Victor Sue-Tang for their role in the organisation of the competition, and Mr Sue-Tang and Dr Andrew Taylor for their supervision during the event.