ROME, NY — The Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), inpartnership with the Griffiss Institute (GI), has been proud to once again host the 8th Annual Challenge Competition, as one of their joint STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives. New this year, the weeklong program was “Powered by AT&T.”
The 2016 Challenge Competition began Monday, April 25, 2016, and ended today, Friday, April 29, at Griffiss Institute, in Rome, New York.
Eight area high schools participated in the 2016 Challenge:
Brookfield Central School
Students: Matthew Harrison & Jordan Ferris
Teacher: Jona Snyder
Central Valley Academy
Students: Anthony Salvati & Dakota Turk
Teacher: Wes Laurion
Frankfort-Schuyler Central School
Students: Elana Kane & Ludmela Ruseva
Teacher: Christopher Snell
Holy Cross Academy
Students: Margaret Cummings & Kevin Lohr
Teacher: Michael Schepis
New York Mills School
Students: Brianna Fuccillo & Rachel Siegel
Teacher: Michael Eramo
Oriskany Central School
Students: David Fletcher & Brendon Fletcher
Teacher: Teresa Mann
Thomas R. Proctor High School
Students: Jason Houn & Somnang Son
Teacher: Jeremiah Gillette
Westmoreland High School
Students: Stephen Cosco & Matthew Calogero
Teacher: Nick Darrah
While all eight teams were recognized for their hard work and efforts, three teams stood out and were awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place titles.
The winners of the 8th Annual 2016 AFRL Challenge Competition are:
- 1st Place: Anthony Salvati and Dakota Turk, Central Valley Academy
- 2nd Place: Stephen Cosco and Matthew Calogero, Westmoreland High School
- 3rd Place: Margaret Cummings and Kevin Lohr, Holy Cross Academy
The winning teams were able to choose from available paid summer internships at AFRL/RI, Griffiss Institute, and two iPad Pros. Anthony and Dakota will be interning at AFRL/RI over the summer of 2016, while Stephen and Matthew will intern at the GI. Margaret and Kevin received the new iPad Pros as their prize.
The Challenge Competition is an annual competitive STEM initiative for local high school students. It was held during a week when students are on a school break and its intent is to provide a more realistic view into the types of high tech problems the nation is facing today, and how engineers and researchers go about dissecting and solving these problems. The best explanation to describe the competition is “mental marathon”.
This year’s challenge was developed by the Information Exploitation & Operations Division of ARFL/RI.
The teams received the challenge problem upon arrival Monday morning, and had the past four days to solve it. AFRL/RI engineers and scientists were on hand to answer questions regarding the challenge problem throughout the week.
The students, who participated in the competition, worked for an entire week to solve the challenge problem. Many found that it was the first time they had ever had a problem to solve that encompasses what they learn in every academic area in school, from politics, to English, to math and science.
Also for many of the participants, being able to spend a week bouncing ideas off local engineers was an incredible benefit and opportunity.
It gave many of the participants a new perspective on the field of engineering and they got to learn a more about the work that takes place at the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, and Griffiss Institute.
On Friday, April 29, 2016, 8:00 am, competition judging began, followed by a poster session, luncheon at noon, and awards ceremony at 12:45 pm, where parents and friends, local dignitaries, and staff from local tech companies, were on hand to support, congratulate, and recognize these technology leaders of tomorrow.
With AT&T’s significant support of this year’s competition AFRL/RI and GI were able to enhance the challenge and provide participating students a more rewarding and educational opportunity. In addition to providing a more immersive and real world experience for the students, AT&T’s support helped the organizers grow the prize levels and educational resources provided during the week.
“AT&T was proud to collaborate with Griffiss Institute and the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate to support this innovative event as it further enhances our commitment to providing resources for STEM related educational programing in New York,” said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State president, AT&T. “Our economy continues to transform at a robust pace – requiring a workforce with a focus on technological education and literacy – and STEM programs like this one are vital to ensure that the students of today are prepared for the global economy of tomorrow. I am excited to see the creativity from the young minds that participated in this competition.”
The support for the Challenge Competition grows out of AT&T’s commitment to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is the company’s signature $350 million philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism and mentoring.
The judges for this year’s competition were:
- Kevin Hanna, Regional Director, External Affairs, AT&T (also the Keynote Speaker)
- Don Hanson, retired, former director at AFRL/RI
- Regan Johnson, Director of Operations, Griffiss Institute
- Jeremy Tobias, Software Engineer, BAE Systems