NCFAME crowns inaugural winners of middle school girls STEM competition
Published on: November 21, 2024
JAMESTOWN, N.C. (Nov. 21, 2024) – Today, the NC Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (NCFAME) First in Flight Chapter hosted its final competition for the inaugural STEM bridge-building competition for middle school girls at Guilford Technical Community College.
Taking place at the NC FAME training center at GTCC’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the final competition included 12 middle school-aged girls, from Guilford County Schools, Asheboro City Schools, and Uwharrie Charter Academy.
In October, 27 middle schools in the three systems were provided with bridge-building kits for students to research, design, and create a bridge to be tested by adding weight until it breaks. The winners from the individual school competitions re-created their winning bridges for the final competition to see which bridge could support the most weight. Participant placed water bottles into a bucket that was attached to their bridges, one at a time, until their bridges broke.
Taking home first place for the strongest bridge was Guilford County Schools’ Sofia Britt from Mendenhall Middle. Second place was Asheboro City Schools’ Madison Hicks from Asheboro Middle, with third going to Quinerly Sheppard from Guilford County Schools’ Northeast Middle. The winner for the most unique bridge design went to Siara Ghamrawy from Guilford County Schools’ Brown Summit Middle School.
First- through third-place winners each received a new laptop, laptop accessories, Stanley cup, and $50 in gift cards. The first- and second-place finishers also received drones, and the most creative winner got $50 in gift cards.
All 12 competing students also earned automatic interviews for the NC FAME program at GTCC when they reach their junior/senior years of high school.
The NC FAME program is designed for those interested in a career in STEM-related fields in manufacturing and provides a two-year, debt-free associate degree with the goal of equipping students with the skills required for the rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape.
The first of its kind in North Carolina, the NC FAME First in Flight Chapter, works with GTCC to educate students in a college setting, while also providing on-the-job training with one of the seven NC FAME sponsor companies.