San Francisco State University, Established 1899, 1600 Holloway Ave. SF, CA 94132

SFSU Public Affairs Press Release

Published by the Public Affairs Office at San Francisco State University, Diag Center.

#074--February 15, 2000; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Merrik Bush-Pirkle/David J. Farley
phone : 415/338-1665
e-mail: pubcom@sfsu.edu

Building Bridges: SFSU Hosts Bay Area High School Engineering Competition

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 15, 2000- In celebration of National Engineers Week (February 20-26), San Francisco State University will host the local level of TEAMS, a national high school math and science competition. More than 100 largely underrepresented students from schools throughout the Bay Area-including Berkeley, Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Mateo and Sacramento-will earn the chance to compete at the state level. SFSU will also host a public display of past-winning feats of engineering, ranging from the practical to the bizarre.

"Our goal is to introduce as many underrepresented students as possible to science and technology fields," says SFSU MESA Engineering Program Director Doris Rowan, who adds that one Sacramento high school is entering three all-girl teams into the competition, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23.

The Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) 2000 Competition, which includes an aptitude test and lab demonstrations, is a nationwide interscholastic competition that challenges students to think critically. Working in teams, students will be required to solve one of ten possible engineering problems, ranging in scope from bridge retrofitting to recycling. First-place winners will compete at the statewide competition, the winners of which will go on to nationals in Washington, D.C., later this year.

On Thursday, February 24, SFSU will also host a display of past-winning feats of engineering from the national competition. Ranging from the practical to the whimsical, the student-made engineering exhibits include the "Micro Mouse Maze," a past first-place winner that demonstrates how a robotic truck uses sensors to find its way through an intricate maze; the Human Powered Vehicle, another first-place winner, which runs solely on human energy; and the Bending Man, a robot-like contraption of metal that challenges the laws of physics by bending without the use of mechanical components.

The event begins at 11 a.m. in front of the Caesar Chavez Student Center. For more information about the event, please contact Doris Roman at (415) 338-1328.

###



SFSU Home   Search   Comments and Questions

SFSU, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132
Last modified April 24, 2007 by Office of Public Affairs