Height, stability, accuracy and distance—a few of the components testing the minds of 226 Spokane middle school students during the annual Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Middle School Competition. All six Spokane public middle schools will be represented by seventh and eighth graders during the competition scheduled for Friday, March 16 from 9:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. at the East Central Community Center Gymnasium, 500 South Stone Street.
Students will test their science skills against their peers in engineering events and logic games and compete for the coveted traveling trophy. They will also vie for the state seed in the trebuchet competition with the chance to qualify for MESA’s National competition, held in Baltimore, Md., this June.
During the engineering competitions, students test marshmallow catapults for distance and multi-purpose vehicles (MPV’s) for the fastest car in Spokane Public Middle Schools. Also this year, a surprise event will have students analyzing the height and stability of straw towers. The enthusiasm will be contagious in this gym full of teenagers putting their minds and creations to the test.
From 9:45 a.m.-noon trebuchet testing will run simultaneously with the logic game tournaments. Poster presentations will take place from
noon-12:45 p.m. while the logic games tournaments are completed. Plaques and medals will be presented to all individual and team winners from 1:35-2 p.m.
The goal of MESA is to provide globally competitive and individually competent students in mathematics, engineering and science with full participation of under-represented students, including African Americans, Latinos(as), Native Americans, and females of all ethnicities. This competition is a celebration of their efforts and an excellent opportunity to see young scientists in action.
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.
