It's that time again! MESA teams from seven states are headed to Maryland for the National Engineering Design Competition.
Team Plant Vitals from Los Nietos Middle School snagged the No. 1 spot. Team members Andrew Lim, Angel Leon and Andrew Valdivia -- all 8th graders -- were guided by teacher advisor Jacqueline Ramirez and supported through the UC Irvine MESA center.
Mendota High School grabbed first place with their Safe Space project. Team members Jonathan Alfaro, Christopher Torres-Alfaro and Manuel Reyes Sandoval -- all 11th graders -- are led by teacher advisor Eloy Pena and supported through the Fresno State MESA center.
For NEDC, student teams identify an individual or group in their community that experiences an inequity. Teams will employ human-centered design practices to engineer a solution and use a coding element as the main component of their design. They will align their projects to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in an effort that leads to “Designing for Equity Locally to Affect Sustainability Globally, the 2023-24 MESA USA NEDC theme.
All competing teams will submit a design proposal, create an academic poster, prepare a technical pitch, and present to their peers and industry representatives at a public symposium. The NEDC process and competition mirrors real world experience as an engineer, providing an invaluable experience for the MESA students.
Each MESA state has the privilege of hosting the MESA USA NEDC event in a two-year cycle. In 2024 and 2025, California will welcome ten MESA USA partner states. This is an opportunity to showcase California’s trailblazing approach to STEM and highlight the vast MESA support network of industry partners and alumni.
Congrats to all the teams for achieving so much already and good luck!