State Design Challenge Winners Named
By Anne Gilmore
Communications Team, KSDE
TOPEKA – February 17, 2009 – Four students from Baldwin High School USD 348 were awarded first place for their efforts in the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy’s Real World Design Challenge on Tuesday in the Office of Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
Lead by coaches Pam Davis and Sandy Barnes, students Carson Barnes, Colin Busby, Colby Soden and Lauren Barnes were presented with certificates and medals for their winning design. The team will go on to represent the state at the national competition in Washington, DC next month.
The competition encourages students in grades 9–12 to solve real problems currently faced by the engineering industry while encouraging kids to get excited about science and engineering careers.
“This again shows that our students in Kansas are exemplars for the nation in terms of 21st century skills and engagement in solving real-world problems in the much needed career fields of science, math, engineering and technology,” according to Dr. Alexa Posny, Kansas Commissioner of Education.
Students from ten states participated in the first annual Real World Design Challenge. Kansas supplied eight qualifying designs, the most in the nation, following the theme of “Aviation and Fuel Consumption.” Each team used professional engineering software in order to redesign an existing aircraft in order to improve its fuel efficiency without reducing the overall performance of the aircraft.
“I’m proud these students have found innovative solutions to real world challenges facing the engineering industry,” Governor Kathleen Sebelius said. “The skills they developed during the Real World Design Challenge will help them as they chart their careers and begin a lifetime of innovative leadership right here in Kansas.”
Annually, the Real World Design Challenge theme will address a different engineering challenge. The U.S. Department of Energy plans to expand the competition in the future to include additional states.
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