Herff College of Engineering
Hundreds of students explore the world of engineering at Herff eDay
Nearly 700 students from across the Mid-South showed up to eDay 2026 at the Herff College of Engineering.
Those students, between third grade and their senior years of high school, came from around 30 schools, including public schools, private schools and homeschool organizations.
eDay 2026 allowed those students to take part in 12 demonstrations, including "A-Blazing-Race," hosted by Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water. The event educated students on the power of solar energy by allowing them to build and race their own solar-powered race car.
Among the most popular competitions were Egg Drop, Fash Build, Penny Boat and The Wall. Egg Drop put students' design skills to the test, allowing them to drop egg-containing contraptions down a stairwell. Flash Build taught students the basics of construction, letting students pile up books as high as possible until the tower collapsed. The Mid-South Gifted Academy built a tower 55 books tall in this year's competition. Penny Boat took the competition to the water as students loaded pennies until aluminum foil boats, seeing how many pennies a boat could hold before it sank, but no other competition tests construction and design skills like The Wall. In The Wall, students used duct tape to secure a chair to a wall. A student must then sit on the chair for two minutes without the chair falling.
First, Second and Third place winners for all competitions are listed below.
2026 Winners by competition:
| Competition | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wall | Team Cosmo - Mid-South Gifted Academy | CHS Team A - Collierville High School | CHS Team C - Collierville High School |
| Flash Build | Team Rolly Pollies - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Team Mid-South Gifted Academy | ECS Eagles Red - ECS |
| Penny Boat | CHS Team A/1 - Collierville High School | Team The Sigmas - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Team TheSquonk - Mid-South Gifted Academy |
| Build a Biomaterial Scaffold | Team Goldfish Catchers - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Team Idelwild Elementary Robotics Team 1 - Idelwild Elementary | Team ECS Eagles - ECS |
| Egg Drop | Team Dynamic Duo - Home School (Kimla Hill) | Abby, Mila, Alejandro, Neima - Parkway Village Elementary | Eileen, Parth, Jordan, Alex, Daniel - Collierville High School |
| AIAA Airplane Launching | Edward Matranga - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Memphis School of Excellence | Team Mendenhall MS 1 - Mendenhall |
| Paper Airplane Design and Flight | Team Rolly Pollies - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Student AJ | Students Jack and Jacob |
| Coding Competition | Team Code Tigers - University High | Team Clone Project - John P. Freeman | Mid-South Gifted Academy |
| Pasta Car | Daniel and Bighan - Collierville High | Angel Perez - Collierville High | Kaleb and Erin - John P. Freeman |
| Homopolar Motor Build | Scott Yelland - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Preston Jones - Mid-South Gifted Academy | Emmett Fulmer - Mid-South Gifted Academy |
| A-Blazing Race | Middle School Winners: Terek Scott Jr., Kaleb Blue and Matio Girón - John P. Freeman Middle School | High School Winners (Competition and Notebook): Nicholas Gary and Michael Taylor - University High | High School Winners (Solar Car Design) - Nigel Matthews and Kadien Cox-Gonzalez - Memphis School of Excellence |
| Passports | Elementary School: Anthony Maldonado - Memphis School of Excellence | Middle School: Jackson Salmon - Mid-South Gifted Academy | High School: Emmett Fulmer - Mid-South Gifted Academy |
Herff also showcased dozens of activities and demonstrations. In learning about drones, students sat in a chair and let 40-mile-an-hour winds blow them away, illustrating the conditions drones are designed to fly in. Herff's staff also taught students about earthquakes, biomedicine and groundwater through Herff's "Water on Wheels" exhibit.
eDay wouldn't have been possible without the dozens of schools that participated and all of the Herff volunteers dedicated to teaching students about the wonders of engineering. Herff College of Engineering Dean Okenwa Okoli shared his gratitude, saying, in part, "Events of this magnitude do not happen by accident. They require careful planning, long hours and a shared commitment to excellence. Our faculty, staff and students rose to the occasion in every way. From organizing competitions and hosting demonstrations to welcoming guests and ensuring everything ran smoothly, your efforts were evident in every detail. Most importantly, you helped create meaningful moments for young students who are beginning to imagine their futures. You represented this college with professionalism, enthusiasm and pride. For many of those students, eDay may have been their first glimpse into what is possible in engineering. That is a powerful responsibility, and you carried it well."