Don't Let that Cookie Crumble: SSE Teams Build, Test Gingerbread Houses
"More weight next year!"
Teams of students, faculty and staff in Saint Louis University’s School of Science and Engineering recently put their engineering skills to work for a December Innovation Challenge, building gingerbread houses designed to stand up during a weight-loading competition. Organizers tested the houses using sandbags of various weights. Multiple houses withstood 40 pounds, besting the 2023 winners by six pounds, leading organizers to plan for more weight in 2025.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, adds weight to a gingerbread house during the innovation challenge on Friday, Dec. 6. Photo by Joe Barker.
Clayton Stout checks to make sure that the pieces of the gingerbread house are level for the SSE Innovation Challenge on December 2, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
A crowd gathered in the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISE) building to watch the Innovation Challenge. Photo by Joe Barker.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, reacts as a gingerbread house collapses from the weight of the sandbags. Photo by Joe Barker.
Sophia Weaver decorates her team’s gingerbread house for the SSE Innovation Challenge on December 2, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, and Amy Preis, director of undergraduate student success and retention, add weight to a gingerbread house at the Innovation Challenge on Friday, Dec. 6. Photo by Joe Barker.
Naveena Mutharasan and Clayton Stout work on their gingerbread house for the SSE Innovation Challenge as Sridhar Condoor, Ph.D., professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering watches on December 2, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, adds weight to a gingerbread house during the innovation challenge on Friday, Dec. 6. Photo by Joe Barker.
Naveena Mutharasan and Clayton Stout construct their gingerbread house, as Sophia Weaver, right, works on decorations for the SSE Innovation Challenge on December 2, 2024. Photo by Sarah Conroy.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, reacts as a gingerbread house collapses from the weight of the sandbags. Photo by Joe Barker.
Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, adds weight to a gingerbread house during the innovation challenge on Friday, Dec. 6. Photo by Joe Barker.
Teams of students, faculty and staff spent days building gingerbread houses. Each team was given three pre-made kits and a holiday Billiken to use in their design. All houses were required to be edible, created from only the materials in the kit and have a flat roof.
Students Naveena Mutharasan, Clayton Stout and Sophia Weaver worked with Sridhar Condoor, Ph.D., professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, to construct a gingerbread model of Oliver Hall. Weaver participated in the 2023 challenge. The aerospace engineering major said she loved getting to challenge herself in new ways.
Her teammates concurred.
"It's teaching us some of the soft skills while also putting into practice what we are learning in our classes," said Mutharasan.
On Friday, Dec. 6, all houses were weight-tested to determine the strongest design. Scott Sell, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for undergraduate education in SSE, added sandbags to each house until the structure gave way. All entries were weight-tested, but those that didn't meet the project specifications were not considered for awards.
Winners of the competition received a cash price to split among the team.
Latest Newslink
- A Camp Friendship that Stirred Up Lifelong BondsIn the summer of 2005, Mary Kate Keenoy (Chaifetz Grad '22) and Genevieve Willman met at SLU's Gardens to Tables culinary camp. What started as a shared interest in cooking grew into a lasting friendship that has endured for two decades.
- Bruce Bacon, M.D.: 1949-2025Bruce Bacon, M.D., professor emeritus of internal medicine, died Sunday, July 6, 2025. He was 75. Bacon was known globally for his expertise in all aspects of clinical hepatology, specifically hemochromatosis, viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease / general hepatology, and liver transplant. Bacon was also a member of the research team that discovered the gene for hemochromatosis, HFE, in 1996.
- SLU Launches William L. Clay, Sr. Institute of Civic Engagement and Economic JusticeThe Clay Institute will provide immersive learning experiences and hands-on training that address the social and economic challenges facing the St. Louis region and the nation. Institute programming will be available to all students with an interest in civic engagement and democratic participation.
- SLU Research Explores Depression's Ripple Effect on DiabetesA study conducted by researchers at Saint Louis University found that patients with depression were more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes over time and that depression contributes to a heightened economic burden to diabetes management.
- SLU/YouGov Poll: Statewide Cell Phone Ban for Missouri Schools Popular with VotersGovernor Mike Kehoe has signed Senate Bill 68 into law, enacting a statewide ban on the use of personal electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches, throughout the school day in Missouri public and public charter schools.
- SLU Vaccine Center Will Enroll Healthy Volunteers in Yellow Fever Vaccine Clinical TrialSaint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development will enroll up to 70 adult volunteers in a clinical trial to study the safety elicited by a new investigational vaccine for yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease that is spread by mosquitoes. The research is funded by Sanofi Pasteur.
