On Friday, April 12, Capitol College will welcome approximately 400 Maryland Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program (MESA) students for the organization’s Regional MESA Day competition. Elementary, middle and high schools from the Howard County Public School System will be competing in the event.
Students will participate in a variety of competitions during MESA day. The first competition will test the communication skills of the students and will require each team to create a compelling, two-minute public service announcement to promote awareness around a particular STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) college major.
The second competition is a bridge building contest, in which students must construct a bridge based on the specifications provided to the teams. Following the bridge building, students will compete in a cybersecurity contest, testing their knowledge of information assurance principles and practices.
One of the events in which elementary students will compete is the Storybook Theme Park Ride. They are expected to design and develop a model ride for a theme park. The device will be constructed around the theme of a storybook that the students have enjoyed reading.
The final competition of the day is the National Prosthetic Arm Challenge, in which students will develop a low-cost prosthetic device to complete a list of predefined tasks. The prosthetic devices must be able to accurately toss three differently sized balls, pick up and place different sized objects in various containers, and place nuts and bolts onto testing devices, among other tasks.
Hosting Maryland MESA Day is part of Capitol College’s continued effort to promote STEM education. Through workshop series, guest lectures and various STEM events, Capitol College continues to reinforce the importance of pursuing a degree in a science, technology, engineering or math field. Through these efforts, Capitol College students, local community college students and Maryland pre-college students get a glimpse of the types of careers and degrees they can pursue.
Maryland MESA is a 3-12 STEM initiative that works to identify and support students statewide in order to prepare them to matriculate and graduate from a two-year and/or four-year college or university with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Maryland MESA seeks to target students who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields—specifically minority and female students. Learn more about Maryland MESA and this year’s MESA Day activities.