WASHINGTON -- The National Academy of Engineering's EngineerGirl! website announced today the winners of the 2010 EngineerGirl! – Survival Design Challenge Essay Contest. This year's national contest asked students between grades three and 12 to describe how they would use the clothing or accessories they are wearing, the contents of their backpacks, and items in the environment to create a shelter, gather food and water, or get the attention of a rescue party if they were lost during a field trip to a national forest. More than 800 students in grades three through 12 submitted essays.
"We are pleased that the EngineerGirl! essay contest creates excitement about engineering among so many young people," said NAE President Charles M. Vest. "I congratulate all of the participants in this year's contest for their creative use of engineering in a real-world scenario. I encourage these young minds to continue to think of engineering as the way to solve the world's challenges, as they will be the problem-solvers of tomorrow."
Quin Nardone, a third-grader being home-schooled in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won first place among entries from third- through fifth-grade students for creating various simple but practical tools such as smoke signals, paper boats, and drums to attract attention from a rescue party. Satvika Kumar, a sixth-grader from Nysmith School for the Gifted in Lorton, Va., won first place among entries from sixth- through eighth-grade students for her description of efforts to attract a rescue party using signal fires, notes, and a handmade whistle. Brielle Seaman, a 12th-grader from A.C. Mosley High School in Panama City, Fla., won first place among entries from ninth- through 12th-graders for her essay on creating a system to gather, filter, and purify water.
Prizes ranged from $500 for first place to certificates for honorable mention.
Among contestants in grades three to five, Brittany Ngia, in fourth grade at Hamilton Elementary School in Troy, Mich., won second place; Raga Justin, in fifth grade at Martha and Josh Morris Mathematics and Engineering Elementary in Texarkana, Texas, won third place; and Maddy Garretson, in fourth grade at Madera Elementary School in El Cerrito, Calif., received an honorable mention.
Among contestants in grades six to eight, Summer Wu, in eighth grade at Deer Path Middle School in Lake Forest, Ill., won second place; Zachary Neubauer, in eighth grade at Teeland Middle School in Wasilla, Alaska, won third place; and Alexandra Kung, in seventh grade at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua, N.Y., received an honorable mention.
Among contestants in grades nine to 12, Emily Pace, in 11th grade at Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology in Conyers, Ga., won second place; Jahvan Innerarity, in 9th grade at Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology in Conyers, Ga., won third place; and Kristina Henderson, in 10th grade at Louisiana R-II High School in Louisiana, Mo., was awarded an honorable mention.
All of the winning essays are posted at <http://www.engineergirl.org/CMS/Contest/2010winners.aspx>.
The EngineerGirl! website is designed for middle school girls and offers information about various engineering fields and careers, as well as games, books, and other resources on engineering. EngineerGirl! and Engineer Your Life (http://www.engineeryourlife.org), a website for academically prepared high school girls, are part of NAE's ongoing efforts to increase the diversity of the engineering work force.
The National Academy of Engineering is an independent, nonprofit institution. Its members consist of the nation's premier engineers, who are elected by their peers for seminal contributions to engineering. The academy provides leadership and guidance to government on the application of engineering resources to social, economic, and security problems. Established in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863.
[This news release is available at http://national-academies.org]