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« Back to news listingMemphis Challenge Sweeps National Society of Black Engineers Competition
Monday, December 22, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Memphis Challenge
901.312.9620
The Memphis Challenge, Inc. Sweeps National Society of Black Engineers Regional Competition
(Memphis, TN) December 22, 2008-The Memphis Challenge Inc., students brought home two first place trophies after successfully competing in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Fall Regional Conference Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Program Competitions. The nine exceptionally bright high school juniors and seniors went up against 10 other chapters, from five different states, in the Tri-Math-A-Lon and Engineering Design competitions. The NSBE Regional Conference was held in Jacksonville, FL, November 21 - 23, 2008. The teams' winnings include travel and registration assistance to compete in the NSBE National Convention in Las Vegas, NV, March 25 - 29, 2009.
Trevor Williams serves as Chair of Region III, which includes Memphis. The recent University of Tennessee in Knoxville graduate was quite impressed with the strength and depth of preparation exhibited by the Memphis Challenge team. "The Memphis Challenge team was well-organized, focused, and competent. They also worked well as a cohesive unit. As a native Memphian, I was very proud to have a hometown team compete at the regional level and win. I believe they will do well at the national level too," says the engineering major.
The Memphis Challenge, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to ensure successful student/college matches and encourage students to return to Memphis after graduation. High school students participate in a battery of educational, professional and personal development workshops designed to prepare them for real world challenges. Their participation in NSBE aligns with those lessons. The wins are an especially outstanding feat because this is the first year The Memphis Challenge, Inc. has been a part of the NSBE program. The two winning teams consist of:
Engineering Design
Racquel Martin, Sr. Memphis Catholic High School
Justin Jackson, Sr. Ridgeway High School
Alyson McNear, Jr. East High School
McKenzii Webster, Sr. St. George Independent School
Tri-Math-A-Lon
Christopher Shannon, (Team Captain) Sr. White Station High School,
Carlos Barksdale, Jr. White Station High School
Devin Brooks, Sr. Lausanne Collegiate School
Michael McGee, Sr. Germantown High School
Alyson McNear, Sr. East High School (alternate)
Several people were instrumental to this wonderful achievement. The trip was made possible by a generous grant from the Parker Hannifin Foundation. The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Vice Chair, Dave Gillespie, is Human Resource Manager at the Parker Hannifin Mobile Climate Systems Division Headquarters in Collierville, TN, and was instrumental in securing the grant. Parker Hannifin is the global leader in Motion and Control Technologies. Marlon Ridley, Sr., a Booz Allen Hamilton Consultant, served as the Chapter Advisor and coach, and for the past three months he worked weekly with the students to get them prepared for the competition. The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Program Manager Kevin Ragin and NSBE Alumni Member Heidi Hubbard provided additional assistance.
The competitions were grueling but The Memphis Challenge Inc., teams were determined to bring home the gold. It took the Engineering Design team a little over two months to develop the design strategy they used to build an autonomously functioning robot with LEGOs®, computer software and infrared technology. They also received high marks in the Engineering Contest phase of the compeition, which measured the teams' ability to solve real-world engineering problems and answer questions pertaining to math and their knowledge of Black inventor/scientists during the Quiz Bowl. The Tri-Math-A-Lon was a two-day math and engineering competition that tested the students' ability to respond to various standardized test math questions, among other things. The Memphis Challenge Inc., team won the Tri-Math-A-Lon by an impressive 200-point margin.
The NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. With more than 30,000 members, NSBE is one of the largest student-managed organizations in the country. It has more than 233 chapters on college and university campuses, 65 Alumni Extension chapters and 89 PCI chapters. The PCI Program is designed to encourage students in grades K-12 to attend college and pursue degrees in the fieds of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or STEM. Their chapters are geographically divided into six regions. Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida comprise Region III.
The Memphis Challenge, Inc., is quite proud of their NSBE Jr. Chapter's accomplishments and is looking forward to the same success at NSBE National Convention. For more information contact The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Executive Director Cassandra Webster at 901.312.9620 or visit www.memphischallenge.org.
CONTACT: Memphis Challenge
901.312.9620
The Memphis Challenge, Inc. Sweeps National Society of Black Engineers Regional Competition
(Memphis, TN) December 22, 2008-The Memphis Challenge Inc., students brought home two first place trophies after successfully competing in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Fall Regional Conference Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Program Competitions. The nine exceptionally bright high school juniors and seniors went up against 10 other chapters, from five different states, in the Tri-Math-A-Lon and Engineering Design competitions. The NSBE Regional Conference was held in Jacksonville, FL, November 21 - 23, 2008. The teams' winnings include travel and registration assistance to compete in the NSBE National Convention in Las Vegas, NV, March 25 - 29, 2009.
Trevor Williams serves as Chair of Region III, which includes Memphis. The recent University of Tennessee in Knoxville graduate was quite impressed with the strength and depth of preparation exhibited by the Memphis Challenge team. "The Memphis Challenge team was well-organized, focused, and competent. They also worked well as a cohesive unit. As a native Memphian, I was very proud to have a hometown team compete at the regional level and win. I believe they will do well at the national level too," says the engineering major.
The Memphis Challenge, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to ensure successful student/college matches and encourage students to return to Memphis after graduation. High school students participate in a battery of educational, professional and personal development workshops designed to prepare them for real world challenges. Their participation in NSBE aligns with those lessons. The wins are an especially outstanding feat because this is the first year The Memphis Challenge, Inc. has been a part of the NSBE program. The two winning teams consist of:
Engineering Design
Racquel Martin, Sr. Memphis Catholic High School
Justin Jackson, Sr. Ridgeway High School
Alyson McNear, Jr. East High School
McKenzii Webster, Sr. St. George Independent School
Tri-Math-A-Lon
Christopher Shannon, (Team Captain) Sr. White Station High School,
Carlos Barksdale, Jr. White Station High School
Devin Brooks, Sr. Lausanne Collegiate School
Michael McGee, Sr. Germantown High School
Alyson McNear, Sr. East High School (alternate)
Several people were instrumental to this wonderful achievement. The trip was made possible by a generous grant from the Parker Hannifin Foundation. The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Vice Chair, Dave Gillespie, is Human Resource Manager at the Parker Hannifin Mobile Climate Systems Division Headquarters in Collierville, TN, and was instrumental in securing the grant. Parker Hannifin is the global leader in Motion and Control Technologies. Marlon Ridley, Sr., a Booz Allen Hamilton Consultant, served as the Chapter Advisor and coach, and for the past three months he worked weekly with the students to get them prepared for the competition. The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Program Manager Kevin Ragin and NSBE Alumni Member Heidi Hubbard provided additional assistance.
The competitions were grueling but The Memphis Challenge Inc., teams were determined to bring home the gold. It took the Engineering Design team a little over two months to develop the design strategy they used to build an autonomously functioning robot with LEGOs®, computer software and infrared technology. They also received high marks in the Engineering Contest phase of the compeition, which measured the teams' ability to solve real-world engineering problems and answer questions pertaining to math and their knowledge of Black inventor/scientists during the Quiz Bowl. The Tri-Math-A-Lon was a two-day math and engineering competition that tested the students' ability to respond to various standardized test math questions, among other things. The Memphis Challenge Inc., team won the Tri-Math-A-Lon by an impressive 200-point margin.
The NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. With more than 30,000 members, NSBE is one of the largest student-managed organizations in the country. It has more than 233 chapters on college and university campuses, 65 Alumni Extension chapters and 89 PCI chapters. The PCI Program is designed to encourage students in grades K-12 to attend college and pursue degrees in the fieds of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or STEM. Their chapters are geographically divided into six regions. Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida comprise Region III.
The Memphis Challenge, Inc., is quite proud of their NSBE Jr. Chapter's accomplishments and is looking forward to the same success at NSBE National Convention. For more information contact The Memphis Challenge, Inc., Executive Director Cassandra Webster at 901.312.9620 or visit www.memphischallenge.org.
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