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Crane competition at the University of Siegen: Students inspire with pasta art!
Student competition “Pasta Lift Off” at the University of Siegen: 14 teams construct creative cranes out of macaroni. Winners and placings.
Crane competition at the University of Siegen: Students inspire with pasta art!
On March 8, 2025, the Civil Engineering Department took place as part of the “Pasta Lift Off” student competition University of Siegen an impressive event took place. 14 teams from nine secondary schools took part in this innovative competition, which aimed to promote students' constructive skills and engineering understanding.
The challenge was to construct cranes out of macaroni and liquid glue. The teams were asked to design a crane that had the greatest possible lifting capacity in relation to its dead load. Each team was allowed to use two packets of pasta, four fastening screws and a support plate. The construction phase began in December, and the presentations of the designs finally took place at the Paul Bonatz Campus.
Assessment and results
The cranes were evaluated based on several criteria: load capacity, documentation, creativity and the general quality of the work. The designs were tested in a hydraulic testing facility, which not only gave the students the opportunity to test their mechanical application in practice, but also provided exciting moments. The rankings were as follows:
| Place | team | Load capacity (kg) | Weight (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | Group 1.1 of the Rudolf Steiner School in Siegen | 31.64 | – |
| 2. | Group 1.2 of the Rudolf Steiner School in Siegen | 13.16 | 136 |
| 1. | Siegen Technical College | 8.98 | 87 |
The prizes, donated by the Association for Architecture and Civil Engineering, were 150 euros for first place, 100 euros for second place and 50 euros for third place, all for the class fund. In addition, all participants received certificates and drinking bottles from the University of Siegen.
Additional competitions
In the same month, three students from Villa Elisabeth Comprehensive School took part in the “Building Bridges” competition. This event represents another interesting challenge for young engineers, where the students worked on the planning and model construction of a pedestrian and cycle path bridge with the support of their physics teacher, Mr. Franzke. The bridge had to cover a clearance of 60 cm and should stand independently.
Strict specifications were made regarding the height and width of the structure. The maximum height of the bridge, including railings, was set at 60 cm. Innovative aspects, such as the possibility of integrating solar lighting and nesting boxes for insects and bats, should also be included in the planning. The students are currently taking part in the state selection by the Chamber of Engineers, which gives them an additional opportunity for career orientation in the field of engineering, such as Private schools VE reported.
Participating in such competitions not only promotes students' technical understanding, but also teamwork and creativity. It remains exciting to see how these young talents will develop further in the field of engineering.