Back in January, students attended the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) divisional contest. Five students placed in the rigorous science or math test or in the creative engineering contest, and are now advancing to the state competition on May 2.

A competition aimed to allow minorities to be exposed to the STEM field, the event was a great way to be exposed to the endless opportunities that come with pursuing a STEM field.

“I am interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field, so this competition is a great way for me to meet people who are interested in the same field as me, ” Kevin Li ‘18 said.

Participants took two multiple choice tests; one on their current math level, and the other on their current science level. The tests were based on school curriculum, so students use the textbooks and provided practice tests to study.

After finishing testing, students completed an engineering project, where students were placed in groups of five with students of all different ages that they had never met before. The challenge allowed them to think creatively and with people of all ages which they had never met before. Their task was to make a mobile machine out of household materials that were given to them in under an hour.

“You definitely get to experience the frustrations and also the positive effects of working together with new people and people who are not always going to agree with you, but you also get a lot of new perspectives from their ideas,” Sindhura Sridhar ‘16 said.

For state, the competition style remains the same. The state competition will be held at Lockheed Martin on May 2. Currently, students who advance eagerly await it and are ready to  be immersed in a challenging setting.

“I felt pretty relieved when I found out that I advanced,” Ritik Goyal ‘18 said. “I am looking for to going to the Lockheed Martin facility and seeing that, and hopefully winning again!”

Contributions by Ishani Pandya