The trick to being a good engineer is to learn by doing and to persevere through challenges, failures and setbacks, says Enriched Science co-coordinator Chris Whittaker. This year 27 Dawson students on eight teams lived this experience through the Science on tourne! competition.

Dawon’s winning team (Mateo Duque, Evan Parasol and Brent Suter) is off to the nationals May 1-2. The second-place team members are: Patrick Barbara, Davide D’Errico, Charbel El Hayek & Philippe Mongrain; third-place team members are: Annabelle Mondor & Emeline Tchung.

“This year’s Science on tourne! competition featured a novel challenge, one that was quite different from previous years and one that was very challenging,” Chris said. “Instead of a singular and relatively simple task that used a specific form of stored energy (like picking up wooden batons with a machine powered by rubber bands or springs), this year’s task was multi-faceted and allowed teams to use any kind of energy system. It was a significant challenge for students to conceptualize, design and build a machine that could effectively score points, and yet despite this challenge all of the teams did amazingly well!”

Winning team spokesperson Mateo Duque shared their project and experience in an interview with the Communications Office.

How did your idea come together for Science on tourne! ?

Mateo: Our idea came together over about three months of constant designing, improving, and rebuilding. Our main structure stayed mostly the same, but the devices that performed the tasks changed a lot over time. What was really important for us was designing quickly but also smartly, so we could leave enough time to properly test and refine everything.

Can you walk us through your project in simple terms and what makes it stand out?

Mateo: In simple terms, our machine operates within the starting zone, like most teams. What makes ours stand out is a conveyor belt system that lifts the balls upward into a dispensing mechanism. It is a simple concept, but the execution makes it very efficient and consistent, and it ended up being one of the most satisfying parts of our design.

What was the most challenging part of the competition, and how did your team overcome it?

Mateo: Initially, the biggest challenge was building everything within the time constraints, especially since we had to design an unmounted machine that fit inside a specific box before the competition. During the competition, we only had five minutes to rebuild everything, which made it really tricky and required a lot of communication. Once we got past that, the hardest part became picking up the balls consistently and deciding what strategy we wanted to optimize for. We overcame this by testing different approaches, simplifying where needed, and focusing on making our system as reliable as possible.

How did your experience in the Enriched Science Program help prepare you for this win?

Mateo: More than anything, it is the environment. We are surrounded by smart and supportive people who are always willing to help. It creates a really positive atmosphere where we feel motivated to improve, and it honestly feels like a small community where everyone pushes each other to succeed.

What did this experience teach you about teamwork or problem-solving?

Mateo: This experience taught us that good teamwork is really about constant communication and being open to each other’s ideas. Some of our best improvements came from quick discussions or small suggestions. It also showed us that problem solving takes patience. Most things did not work on the first try, so being able to stay calm, adapt, and keep improving was key.

Anything else you would like to say?

Mateo: We are really grateful for the opportunity to compete and represent Dawson. It has been an amazing experience, and we are excited to see how far we can go at nationals.

Details of the 2026 challenge can be found at: https://scienceontourne.com/le-defi/