Design 2000: Storming the Bastille

July 14th, 1789. French revolutionaries fighting against the authoritarian monarchy in the name of liberte, egalite et fraternite storm the Bastille, the prison building symbolic of the arbitrariness of the Ancient Regime. This act marked the success of the revolution and the birth of the new Republic. For the French people, the storming of the Bastille symbolizes liberty, democracy and the struggle against oppression.

On July 14th, 2000, exactly 211 years later, MITE²S students faced the challenge of the Bastille once again. This time around, however, they fought for the ideals of creativity, innovation and teamwork. Their task was to send as many revolutionaries as possible into the Bastille and release the prisoners from the dungeon.

They designed, built and operated a remotely controlled machine to mobilize their forces and move them around the battlefield.

Scoring:

+1 point for each revolutionary which they got into the Bastille
-1 point for every faint-hearted revolutionary that remained behind (on the green playing area)
-2 points for every cowardly revolutionary that ran away (in the team's own bin)
+2 points for every prisoner released (on the green playing area)
+5 points for each prisoner that makes it to safety (in the team's own bin)
+1 point for each traitor that is captured (opponents' revolutionaries in bin)
-1 point for each spy in the ranks (opponents' revolutionaries in green playing area)

Contest Winners (from left): Karl Reid (executive director), Suszie Mkandawire (tutor) , Veronica Zepeda (Houston, TX), Sharon Doku (Charlotte, NC), Galo Garcia (San Antonio, TX), Arin Basmajian (tutor), Amy Smith (instructor)

Class of 2000 Yearbook