Skip to main content

Don't Let that Cookie Crumble: SSE Teams Build, Test Gingerbread Houses

by Maggie Rotermund
Media Inquiries

Maggie Rotermund
Senior Media Relations Specialist
maggie.rotermund@slu.edu
314-977-8018

Reserved for members of the media.

"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. 

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. 

Highlights from the 2024 Gingerbread Challenge