REDONDO BEACH, Calif.,
Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/
-- Student teams from six Los
Angeles-area high schools proved on Feb. 21 that amazing things can happen when
imagination goes head to head with an engineering problem, a
limited budget and not enough time.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121024/LA98563LOGO)
That was the conclusion of the judges panel for the 2014
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) High School Innovation
Challenge (HSIC), a student engineering competition held annually
as part of the company's celebration of National Engineers
Week.
Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=23774. A
video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/xQVymlkgXiM.
The challenge, which is modeled each year after a Northrop
Grumman program or engineering capability, is designed to stimulate
student interest in pursuing careers in scientific or engineering
fields. The goal of this year's competition was to design and build
a renewable-energy-powered model vehicle that could carry a payload
as efficiently as possible over a set distance.
"The Northrop Grumman High School Innovation Challenge exposes
students to the major steps required to develop, document and
demonstrate an engineering concept," said Krystal Puga, a systems engineer on Northrop
Grumman's James Webb Space Telescope project and the company's HSIC
deputy coordinator. "It teaches them how to develop, document and
present their ideas; manage a schedule and budget; and prove that
their concept meets the customer's requirements."
The teams participating in this year's HSIC included the
California Academy of Math and Science in Carson; Da Vinci Science High School in
Hawthorne; El Segundo High
School; Lennox Math, Science and
Technology Academy in Inglewood;
Hawthorne Math and Science in Hawthorne; and Palos Verdes Peninsula High
School in Rolling Hills
Estates.
Over the course of the 12-week competition, the HSIC teams –
each one mentored by a Northrop Grumman engineer – were graded on
their ability to develop and document their vehicle's design in a
written report; present the concept orally to a panel of engineers;
and prove the vehicle's performance on the test track.
During last week's "final exam," held in Aviation Park
Gymnasium, the students' solar- and/or wind-powered model vehicles'
were scored on their ability to carry a payload down a 30-foot test
track, drop the payload and then raise a victory flag – all within
a set period of time.
Not every vehicle performed as well as expected, but to a
person, the students were positive and philosophical about value of
the competition, said Puga.
"If there's one thing we've learned, it's the importance of
planning, and organization," said Alex
Brass, a senior at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. "It's
really important to make a schedule – for everything – and stick to
it."
Ernesto Amezquita, a senior at Da
Vinci Science School, said, "the most fun part was the design phase
and the brainstorming. Sometimes you think that your idea is
significant, but then someone adds a new piece to the design and it
just completely redefines the project. This competition really
opened my eyes to the value of teamwork."
The top prize in the 2014 Northrop Grumman High School
Innovation Challenge went to Lennox
Math, Science and Technology Academy. Hawthorne Math and
Science Academy placed second, while Da Vinci Science School was
third. The spirit award for showing judges the most enthusiasm for
teamwork and engineering was presented to Palos Verdes Peninsula
High School.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation