Annual MESA High School Competition Sets Stage for Scientific Inquiry

SPOKANE, Wash.—On March 27 and 29, over 400 ninth and tenth grade students will converge upon Eastern Washington University’s Cheney campus for the annual Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) High School Science Competitions from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in both the Pence Union Building (PUB) and Patterson Hall.

Each day about 40 teams will deliver presentations on topics centered on scientific inquiry, understanding scientific systems and solving science or Engineering problems. All of the 9th graders will focus their efforts on the testing of trebuchets they have designed and built. In addition, those teams (3-4 students in each) will make an oral presentation regarding the design, construction and performance (distance, accuracy, and power) of their trebuchet and answer judges’ questions.

The 10th graders will complete a scientific inquiry project on a topic of their choosing. They may select any principle, concept, or law from any scientific discipline, interdisciplinary area, or Engineering field. The teams (3-4 students in each) will compete in two areas, technical paper (documentation of their experiments) and oral presentation (summarizing project details), all of which are rated by judges who are business and industry professionals within the Spokane area.

Students prepare for two months with volunteers from Avista and Agilent Technologies who serve as mentors for research, planning and development of team projects. Employees from WSU Spokane, Avista, Agilent Technologies and other companies will serve as judges for their papers and presentations.

Preliminary presentations and trebuchet performances will be from 8:30-11 a.m. in both Patterson Hall and PUB Multi-purpose room. Finalists compete in trebuchet performance from 11:35 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. in the PUB Multi-purpose room. Recognition and awards are scheduled from 1:20-1:45 p.m. Ninth grade students compete on Tuesday and 10th grade students on Thursday. Both days of competition will follow the same time schedule.

School and team winners from these competitions receive awards and prizes. Winning student trebuchet teams will move on to the Washington MESA Day Competition in Seattle on May 30. The national event will be held in Baltimore, Md., this June.

The goal of MESA is to provide globally competitive and individually competent students in mathematics, engineering and science with full participation of underrepresented students, including African-Americans, Latinos(a), Native Americans and females of all ethnicities.

Supporters of the 2007 MESA High School Competition are: WSU Spokane, Eastern Washington University, Spokane Public Schools, Agilent Technologies and Avista Utilities.

About WSU Spokane
WSU Spokane is the urban campus of Washington State University, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. The campus features advanced studies and research in health sciences and health professions, the design disciplines, education, social and policy sciences, and science and technology. Washington State University is one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. In addition, “U.S. News & World Report” ranks WSU as one of the top public research universities in the nation.

Note to Editors: For optimal visual footage, see the full schedule of events. To arrange for on-site interviews with student participants at the event, ask for Terrie Ashby-Scott.