September 14, 2009
Kansas students keeping it real with the Real World Design Challenge
Governor Mark Parkinson today issued a challenge to high school students across Kansas—form a team and become involved the 2010 Real World Design Challenge. Governors throughout the country are challenging students to become involved in the Governor’s Cup State Level Challenge.
“We need more scientists, more engineers and more technicians – and they should come from Kansas,” said Governor Mark Parkinson. “The key to accomplishing this is to introduce students to these subjects now, and foster their interest in fields that will provide a lifetime of success and prosperity. The Real World Design challenge is a great way for students to explore these subjects and I challenge Kansas’ high school students to form a team and get involved.”
The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual event that provides high school students, grades
9 – 12, the opportunity to work on real world engineering challenges in a team environment. Each year, student teams will be asked to address a challenge that confronts one of our nation’s leading industries. Students will utilize professional quality computer-aided design software to develop their solutions and will also generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions. The RWDC provides students with opportunities to apply the lessons of the classroom to the technical problems that are being faced in the workplace.
The Challenge opens today. The submission deadline for applications is January 16, 2010. Students compete against other teams within their state. The winning team from each participating state receives an all expense paid trip to Washington, DC, to participate at the National Event March 26-29, 2010.
According to Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Alexa Posny, “This Challenge provides a practical application of classroom curriculum, inspires students to think outside the box, requires teamwork, and fosters leadership skills as students work to solve a real life problem. It shows the world that students can apply what they have learned in class to solve real world problems.”
The precise nature of the Challenge changes from year to year, but the underlying design principles remains constant. Each year, a new Challenge focuses on a different area of engineering. This year’s Challenge focuses on aeronautics and the energy usage.
Last year, ten states participated in the Governor’s Challenge. A four member team from Baldwin High School, USD 348, represented Kansas at the National Event last March.