On Saturday, November 19, Fairfield University's School of Engineering will host its annual Walk on Water competition at the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Recreation Complex (RecPlex) pool at 1:30 p.m. 

Sixteen teams of first-year engineering students will use engineering skills and knowledge from their “Fundamentals of Engineering” course to design, build, and race buoyant contraptions that allow them to "walk on water." The competition will be judged by engineering professors John Drazan, PhD; Elif Kongar, PhD; Isaac Macwan, PhD; and Gigi Belfadel, PhD. 

New this year, student teams will incorporate a service-learning element to the annual event by engaging with Wakeman Boys & Girls Club members prior to the competition. Fairfield undergraduate engineers will present their design processes to the visiting students at the School of Engineering's new state-of-the-art Innovation Annex, before heading to the RecPlex to put their creations to the test.

“This experience builds confidence in the first-year students and allows them to practice their communication skills in an environment in which they are also serving as role models and mentors,” said Dr. Kongar. “This service-learning opportunity is replicable for other engineering programs seeking to improve student communication skills and will help build a more robust pipeline of young students into the engineering professions.”

Come and cheer for the team of your choice – the event is free and open to the public.

Learn more about the School of Engineering at fairfield.edu/engineering.