After months of designing, creating and competing, Young Engineer teams from Hoover High School and Mendota Middle School will compete against the best teams in California at the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) Statewide Prosthetic Arm Championship on May 11 at University of the Pacific.
MESA is an academic preparation program that serves more than 28,000 California pre-college, community college and university students who are educationally disadvantaged.
Hoover and Mendota students are served by the MESA center at Fresno State’s, Lyles College of Engineering, signifying a sweep of the Central California regional competition.
These future engineers advanced from preliminary and regional contests and beat out hundreds of other students to participate in the statewide event. The winning high school and middle school teams will represent California in the national championship to be held in Portland, Oregon in June.
The competition requires a team of students to develop a prosthetic device to complete pre-defined tasks. The focus on bioengineering reflects MESA’s goal to involve students with the hottest science, engineering and technology areas. The project teaches students to understand design principles, implement problem-solving techniques and think like mechanical engineers.
The project is part of MESA Days, an annual showcase of students’ math and science know-how. Through MESA and MESA Day competitions, students can explore future careers in science, engineering and other technical fields.
For more information about the Hoover or Mendota students, contact Beatrice Prieto at bprieto@csufresno.edu or 559-278-2976.
Related Links:
