The event — featuring student
contestants from California, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico,
Oregon, Utah and Washington — is hosted by Cal State Fullerton’s
MESA program on the CSUF campus.
June 9, 2005 :: No. 234
Sixteen middle and high school teams from
eight states will be competing for bragging rights to the best mousetrap-powered
vehicle during the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement)
National Engineering Design Competition June 25.
The event — featuring student contestants from
California, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah
and Washington — is hosted by Cal State Fullerton’s
MESA program on the CSUF campus.
“MESA has been on the Fullerton campus for
some 25 years motivating and preparing precollege students to pursue
math, science and engineering and computing majors,” said
Vonna Hammerschmitt, director of the CSUF program. “This event
is creating much excitement within the program because it is the
first time this event has been held in California.”
“Design is all about seeking and finding solutions
for problems and doing so under constraints of money, time, material,
technology and available personnel,” said Raman M. Unnikrishnan,
dean of the CSUF College of Engineering and Computer Science. “MESA
has done an outstanding job of introducing engineering to the precollege
community. This competition reinforces everything every prospective
engineering student needs to know.”
The competition consists of an oral presentation,
technical paper and academic display, as well as vehicle trials.
The races include traveling up an incline, stopping closest to a
target five meters away and clocking the fastest elapsed time over
a 10-meter distance.
Participating teams have earned a place by having
the best score in their state competitions. Judges are volunteers
from the companies of SBC, Raytheon, Boeing, Fluor and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory.
The event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with oral presentations
and judging of academic displays in the Titan Student Union. Vehicle
races begin at 12:30 p.m. in Titan Gym.
CSUF’s MESA program offers academic excellence
workshops and other activities to more than 1,400 students from
six area high schools and eight intermediate schools. Events include
MESA Day — held this year in February — where students
competed in contests that utilize math, science and engineering
knowledge, including flying gliders, bridge building, crystal growing
and the packaged egg drop contest.
Cal State Fullerton also operates a MESA Engineering
Program as one of several outreach programs in the College of Engineering
and Computer Science.
Media Contacts: |
Vonna Hammerschmitt at 657-278-3195 or
vhammerschmitt@fullerton.edu
Pamela McLaren of Public Affairs at 657-278-4852
or pmclaren@fullerton.edu |
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