STEM East

Dr. Merwan Mehta, professor in East Carolina University's Department of Technology Systems in the College of Engineering & Technology, will travel to your school (within 1 hour of Greenville) for this exciting hands-on event for middle and high school students.

Put your productivity skills and teamwork to the ultimate test in this fast-paced, hands-on simulation challenge! Teams build model airplanes from Lego-like blocks. Assemble as many airplanes as possible in 5 minutes. The judges will record the number of complete and rejected airplanes. After the initial round on their own, teams will be shown a brief presentation on process balancing and Lean production leveling. Armed with this knowledge, teams will have 15 minutes to redesign and balance their assembly lines. This will be followed by two competitive rounds of airplane assembly. Judges will track the same metrics. The winning

team will be the one that produces the most airplanes in the least amount of time across all rounds.

This is more than a competition—it's a chance to showcase your creativity, leadership, and Lean mastery in a real-world simulation. Whether you win or learn, you’ll walk away with skills that set you apart. So, bring your energy, bring your strategy, and build your way to victory!

NOTE: Host schools will need a large room with large tables (2' X 8' suggested). The event is designed for 32-64 middle or high school students divided into teams of 8 students per team. The room used for the event should have the means to project on a large screen or monitor.

NOTE: The teacher who registers for this event will be designated as the contact for this school visit, but multiple teachers may be involved in order to serve as many as 64 students at the school.