Tasting a steaming cold marshmallow and attempting to break “unbreakable” glass are just two activities to witness at today’s National Engineers Week Student Competition.

Judged by members of the media, seven engineering student groups will compete against each other for cash prizes of $500, $300, $200 and $25.

The groups, which range in membership from 5 to 20 people, include The Engineering Ambassador and Mentoring (TEAM), the Society of Automotive Engineers’ Formula Car Team, American Ceramics Society, Tau Beta Pi FIRST Robot Team, American Society of Agricultural Engineering, American Society of Materials and the Society of Women Engineers.

TEAM students have invited local first, second and third graders, as well as local business owners and celebrities, to participate in a tower-building contest using Tinker Toys.

Mitch Mihalovich, media coordinator for the College of Engineering, said Mayor Ted Tedesco and a few city council members also will participate.

“It will be an interesting day,” Mihalovich said.

Instead of showing its formula race car, the Automotive Engineers’ Formula Car Team will race a Baja vehicle similar to its counterpart, the Odyssey.

Although the Baja vehicle can run through sand dunes and creeks, the car will be driven around the front of Parks Library, demonstrating its abilities to accelerate, brake and perform wild spins.

The American Ceramics Society plans to dazzle spectators when members attempt to break unbreakable glass.

They also will pull a glass fiber like those used in laser surgery and plan to consume a steaming cold marshmallow — one “cooked” with liquid nitrogen.

In addition to those feats, students will display samples of space shuttle tiles, biomedical implants and magically floating superconductors.

The Tau Beta Pi FIRST Robot Team has designed a robot that attempts to play a pick-up game of basketball while students control its movements from the sidelines.

Students in the American Society of Agricultural Engineering are hosting the World’s Strongest Agricultural Engineer Competition, in which participants pull lawn movers and destroy various structures with their bare hands.

The American Society of Materials will hold a magnetics demonstration, as well as tempered steel and shape memory metals.

Finally, members of the Society of Women Engineers will use their engineering powers to play Radioactive Ping-Pong.

All exhibits and demonstrations will be held in Marston Hall, with the exception of the American Society of Materials’ and the American Ceramics Society’s demonstrations, which will be in Gilman Hall from 4 to 6 p.m.

Mihalovich said this year’s engineering competition is a trial effort.

“This is the first year for the event. We are going to see how things go, and then decided as to whether or not we will be having it next year,” he said.