K'Nex Tower blasts off for engineering week

The K'Nex team (from left) Victoria Kesslering, project manager James Dennick, project manager and designer Jessica Léveillé, Jacalyn Bale, and Christine Kalil | Photo by Marc Bourcier

As part of the festivities for Engineering Week, the Concordia Chapter of Women in Engineering has built a colossal replica of the space shuttle & launch pad... entirely out of pieces of K'Nex!

The team of students worked tirelessly to complete the project, spending long hours snapping their building blocks into place. Their efforts were amply rewarded when the Discovery Channel paid them a visit, shooting a segment for the Daily Planet TV show. That segment airs March 9 at 7 and 11 p.m., and will be up on the show’s website as of March 10.

To officially mark the completion of this impressive project, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science Robin Drew was raised high above the construction site in an industrial lift.
 
Once at the top of the huge structure, Drew inserted the final piece of the puzzle, and the shuttle was able to "lift off" at last.

Be sure to stop by the Atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex, located at 1515 Ste. Catherine West to see the structure. It will be in place through mid-March.

Related links:
•    Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
•   Discovery Channel