High School Challenges help the SPS reach out to students to get them interested in science. Some previous challenges have included:
- Trebuchets
- The students constructed a trebuchet that fit in a one cubic meter box. They were judged on accuracy, distance thrown, and creativity.
- Rube Goldberg Machines
- The high schoolers were instructed to build a device to pop a balloon that involved the most energy changes possible and that fit into one cubic meter. Entries were judged on creativity, run time, and number of energy changes.
- Hot Air Balloons
- Students constructed hot air balloons powered by heating them for one minute, then releasing to rise on their own. The winner would be the balloon that was able to lift the most.
