HCPSS MESA Students Excel in 2019 State Competitions

May 28th, 2019

HCPSS students in the Maryland Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program placed in several of the state finals of MESA Day competitions, held at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD.

Students at the elementary, middle and high school levels competed in wearable technology design challenges for a respiration monitoring device, and built bridges out of basswood under strict guidelines that tested structural integrity. The contestants’ innovative abilities were evaluated in events that included creating a theme park ride based on a book, and developing interactive games or virtual robots through programming. Middle and high school students also took on the National Engineering Design Challenge of implementing a human-centered approach to address client’s needs.

The following HCPSS teams received state recognition:

• Jeffers Hill Elementary School: third place, Basswood Bridge Challenge
• St. John’s Lane Elementary School: second place, Wearable Technology Challenge
• Thomas Viaduct Middle School: first place, Basswood Bridge Challenge
• Patapsco Middle School: third place, Wearable Technology Challenge
• Murray Hill Middle School: second place, National Engineering Design Challenge
• Long Reach High School: first place, Cyber Robot Challenge
• Long Reach High School: first place, Wearable Technology Challenge
• Long Reach High School: second place, National Engineering Design Challenge

Maryland MESA, a grades 3-12 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiative, works to prepare students for STEM-related college majors. MESA seeks to target students who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields—specifically minority and female students.