Athens, Ga. – For the past three years, several teams of high school students from across Georgia have participated in the annual Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics and Science competition hosted by the University of Georgia.
This year, participating high schools have an opportunity to earn one of three Northrop Grumman Scholarships to cover the $125 registration fee for the daylong learning experience on the UGA campus, which will be held in February.
TEAMS brings math and science to life for students, fostering creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and problem solving, said John Mativo, an assistant professor in the College of Education’s department of workforce education, leadership, and social foundations and a member of the UGA Faculty of Engineering, who is co-directing the competition.
The competition features high school students participating in teams of four to eight members, using real-world applications of math and science to solve some of today’s greatest engineering challenges. The TEAMS 2012 theme is “Engineering Healthier Lives.”
Participating teams seeking one of the Northrop Grumman Scholarships are required to register for the competition through the TEAMS website (http://teams.tsaweb.org/teams/index.html) and indicating that UGA is the host.
To earn a scholarship, a team must write a paragraph of approximately 500 words on why it should be considered for the scholarship. The application should be emailed to Mativo at jmativo@uga.edu by Jan. 10. Teams will be notified by Jan. 13 if they are awarded the scholarship.
The competition benefits students by showing them why math and science matters in the real world. Its academic rigor challenges students with new academic topics and presents new ideas. In addition, participants receive inside information about college admissions and could win prizes, said Mativo.
Last year, participating teams from the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology, Heritage High School and Mountain View High School brought 28 students for the competition.
Mativo is co-directing the competition with Chi Thai, an associate professor in the department of biological and agricultural engineering and member of the faculty of engineering, and assisted by Nancy Vandergrift, a program coordinator in the Office of STEM Education.
More than 10,000 students across the country participate in TEAMS competitions. UGA is one of two sites hosting the competition in Georgia. The other site is the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
In August, the Technology Student Association acquired TEAMS. TEAMS competition site sponsors include the Bechtel Group Foundation, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Shell and Tyco Electronics.
##
