High Ability 4th/5th graders are working as “engineers” this summer to complete STEM challenges. There are two challenges represented: designing and building the tallest tower out of index cards and designing and building a boat that can float and hold the most pennies. Students learned the math and science behind building towers (forces such as gravity, compression and tension as well as using geometrical shapes that hold up the best to these forces) and floating (understanding how volume, weight, density and buoyancy force assist in an object’s ability to either sink or float).