Arkansas fourth-graders prepare for 'zombie apocalypse' in scenario

You wake up, and the worst has happened: a zombie uprising broke out in Northwest Arkansas. You have little time, limited resources and no gasoline to get you to a safe house nearby.

That’s the scenario a group of fourth-graders will face at an engineering competition put on by the University of Arkansas this week.

About 100 students from two Fayetteville elementary schools will divide into teams and design wind-powered vehicles Friday to escape certain doom.

College students will coach the kids throughout the competition and help them execute their designs, said spokesman Heidi Wells. The fourth-graders will use tokens to purchase materials, construct a replica of their imagined vehicle and test it out, she said.

Vinson Carter, an assistant professor of science, engineering, technology and math education at the University of Arkansas, said one of his students dreamed up the “zombie apocalypse” idea. He tasked the class with brainstorming engineering hypotheticals that would be enjoyable for a group of young kids.

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“Everybody likes zombies these days,” Carter said, adding there will be no actual zombies in attendance.

“It’ll be nice and professional,” he said.

Carter said he wants the elementary students to learn why planning things out is important. Also, just by visiting the university, he hopes they can picture themselves on a college campus someday.

For the older students, Carter said he thinks Friday will be a chance for them to better understand how younger kids learn. But mostly, he said, the day is about "having fun."

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