The southern Arizona Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement, or MESA, program is administered by the UA's Office of Early Academic Outreach to promote mathematics and science education among those who are low-income, of color or are first-generation college-bound students.
Students involved in a University of Arizona program recently traveled to Colorado to compete in a nationwide engineering design competition.
Student teams from Amphitheater Middle School and Tucson High Magnet School involved in Arizona Math, Engineering, Science Achievement, or MESA, program, which is administered by the UA's Office of Early Academic Outreach.
Each team is comprises two girls and two boys and will pit their modern version of an ancient counterweight trebuchet against designs created by other students from around the nation.
The MESA program promotes college preparation through hands-on math, science and engineering activities for students.
About 40 schools participate in MESA throughout the state and, in southern Arizona, the program is offered through 14 high schools and 22 middle schools. The progam is offered at schools in seven other states in the nation.
The majority of students in the program are college-bound students who are low-income or students of color. During the 2008-2009 academic year, nearly 1,000 students from the southern Arizona region participated in after-school MESA programs and weekend competitions.
The student teams each placed first in their division at the Arizona MESA Day statewide competition, which was held April 25 at the UA.
As a result, the teams captured berths in the upcoming MESA USA National Engineering Design Competition. The competition began on June 25 in Denver.
While ancient trebuchets were used to launch projectiles such as heavy stone orbs into enemy territory, the MESA National Engineering Design Competition challenges students to develop multitask trebuchets to launch a footbacg, with the constraint that the counterweight providing energy to the device can weight no more than 1,500 grams.
All trebuchets at the statewide competition were judged for accuracy and distance of the launch, and on the efficiency of the design. In addition to distance and accuracy, the strength of the trebuchet was judged for the high school competition.
Also during the competition, each of the teams will create a poster display, prepare a research paper and present research designs before a panel of industry judges.
The Amphitheater Middle School team, led by teacher Ron Pierce, includes Manuel Ahumada, Daniel Cochran, Theadora Davis and Savannah Ho. Amphitheater Middle School has sent teams to the national competition for the past five years, placing third in both 2004 and 2005 and second in 2008.
Tucson High Magnet School team members are Andrew Alejandre, Roxanna Garcia, Susmita Ghimire and Ernie Somoza. They are traveling with teacher Sheila Marquez, and their volunteer engineering mentor, Leonard Vance of Raytheon Missile Systems. The Tucson High team is the defending national champions. All four team members plan to attend the UA in the fall.
Abra McAndrew
Office of Early Academic Outreach
520-626-2300