The Shot Glass Drop competition gave students and young professionals a chance to put their on-the-spot design talents to the test. This clip shows a “victory drop” of the winning design by Jessica Serra.

The ICACC meeting in Daytona Beach wraps up today. I left on Wednesday after more than a week on the conference circuit. I was ready to come home, but I confess that the balmy sunshine was working for me. (It’s cold, cloudy and snowy where I live.)

Here are some final sights and sounds from the meeting, but I’ll have more to say about what I saw and heard in the weeks to come.

Monday evening’s reception for students and young professionals was well attended and, according to reports, a lot of fun.

A vendor and customer talk shop at Tuesday's Expo.

A vendor and customers talk shop at Tuesday’s Expo.

Posters were displayed on the perimeter of the Expo floor.

Posters were displayed on the perimeter of the Expo floor.

While the Expo was going on, so was a Shot Glass Drop competition for students and young professionals. Sponsored by Schott Glass, contestants had about 30 minutes to construct a contraption out of 30 plastic drinking straws that would protect a free falling Schott-made shot glass. Most of the 16 entries survived to the maximum height, which was in the neighborhood of 12 feet. If they reached the maximum height, contestants then were required to remove two straws each round until only one survived. The winning design won with 24 straws. The video clip above shows winner Jessica Serra’s “victory drop,” one final drop after she was being declared the victor. It survived.

The glass surrounded by its eventual protective straws.

The glass and straws.

Intense concentration from a team.

Intense concentration from a team.

And the winner is Jessica Serra, shown with judges Greg Hilmas (left) and Sean Landwehr. Jessica recently joined the staff of Pratt-Whitney.

And the winner is Jessica Serra, shown with judges Greg Hilmas (left) and Sean Landwehr. Jessica recently joined the staff of Pratt-Whitney.

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