LA PLATA, Md.—Henry E. Lackey High School and General Smallwood Middle School were named the overall winners at the middle- and high-school levels at the statewide Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) competition held May 9 at Johns Hopkins University. A team from John Hanson Middle School also won first place in the Prosthetic Arm challenge, and earned a place to compete at the national competition scheduled for June.
Awards are given for first-, second-, and third-place teams and one overall state elementary, middle and high school winner is chosen. The school that earns the most points throughout the competition is chosen as the overall winner. The Lackey team placed in three of the four events: second place in the Bass Wood Bridge Design challenge; third place in the Python Virtual Robot challenge; and third place in the Prosthetic Arm challenge.
The Smallwood team also placed in three of the four featured events: first place in the ALICE Game challenge; second place in the Bass Wood Bridge Design challenge; and third place in the Effective Communication challenge.
Hanson’s team won first place in the Prosthetic Arm challenge, making the school the overall statewide winner in that challenge at the middle school level. First-place winners at the state level in the Prosthetic Arm Challenge advance to the National MESA Engineering Challenge, scheduled for June 21-23 in Portland, Oregon.
J.C. Parks Elementary School also placed in three of the four featured events, but did not have enough points to earn the state overall title among elementary schools. The team received second place in the Balsa Wood Bridge Design challenge; third place in the Effective Communication challenge; and third place in the SCRATCH Computer Programming challenge.
Maryland MESA is designed to prepare students for academic and professional careers in mathematics, engineering, science, and technology. The program's goals are to increase the number of engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and related professionals at technical and management levels; and to serve as a driving force in encouraging and assisting minorities and females in achieving success in these fields.
For more information on Maryland MESA, visit http://www.jhuapl.edu/mesa/home/ .