Students from Engineering Design Challenge Team 33, “Three Musketeers,” won the Special Award for Creativity at the 2017 State STEM Competition in San Antonio, Texas. The six team members represented six different TAME Chapters: Amarillo, Dallas, East Texas, Gulf Coast (Houston), Lubbock, and Wichita Falls. In alphabetical order: Andrea Ruedas, Markalen Watson, Joseph Nagera, Ashley Evans, Gabriela Garcia, and Jann Cabudoy.
La Villita Historic District Welcomes Wind Turbines (Temporarily)
(San Antonio, TX) – La Villita Assembly Building in San Antonio’s historic Riverwalk district welcomes all kinds of crowds, from sports fans to wedding parties. On Saturday, April 8th, 2017, however, the building played host to something new: wind turbines.
The turbines were built during the Engineering Design Challenge portion of the 32nd STEM Competition, an annual event organized by the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME). This year’s competition, sponsored by Boeing and hosted by CPS Energy, brought 293 Texas students, grades 6 – 12, to San Antonio to test their skills in math, science, and engineering in both individual and collaborative challenges. For the design challenge, student teams were given simple materials (like paper and dowels), a time limit, and a task: to build turbine blades to effectively capture wind power.
At the State Competition, the top six students in each test and the top six teams in the engineering design challenge were recognized with awards and medals. In addition, three teams received special awards for creativity, teamwork, and innovation. Siddhant Puranik, a student from Obra D. Tompkins High School in Katy, designed the winning artwork for the event shirts and programs. TAME’s Outstanding Senior Award, sponsored by Shell Oil Company, was presented to Elisabeth Medina, a high school senior from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. Medina plans to attend the University of Chicago and earn a degree in astrophysics.
The STEM Competitions, part of TAME’s multi-pronged STEM engagement strategy, celebrate diversity and achievement in STEM and encourage the development of a peer and mentor network. Thanks to the support of a number of sponsors, gratefully acknowledged below, the events are offered free of charge to all participants.
While full-scale wind turbines are unlikely to be constructed at the Riverwalk any time soon, the STEM Competition makes one thing clear: whatever tomorrow’s energy sources look like, Texas students will be ready to work on them.
Photos and results will be available soon here.
(Click to make larger.)
Presenting Sponsor:
Corporate & Foundation Sponsors:
American Society of Civil Engineers
Arconic Foundation
BASF
Central Intelligence Agency
Chevron
Chevron Phillips
ConocoPhillips
Emerson Process Management
Halliburton
HEB
IBM
IMAX
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
National Instruments
Rackspace Hosting
Raytheon
Shell Oil Company
Texas Board of Professional Engineers
Texas Instruments
University Partners:
Angelo State University
Lamar University
LeTourneau University
Midwestern State University
Odessa College
Prairie View A&M University
St. Philip’s College
Tarrant County College
Texas A&M University
Texas Tech University
Trinity University
University of Houston
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Host:
Thank you for all you do to promote diversity in STEM careers! Join these organizations in making a difference on our Get Involved page.
