SOUTHFIELD – Three teams from Hamtramck High School swept
the top three spots Thursday in The Engineering Society of Detroit’s
Engineering SMArT Michigan competition, held at Lawrence Technological
University.
A total of 20 members of the top four finalist teams
received $30,000 scholarship offers from Lawrence Technological University at
the event.
The winning team, “Energy Is Everything,” designed
an efficient home that featured a wide variety of energy-saving features, from
advanced lighting and energy controls to renewable materials and exterior
plantings.
In second place was Hamtramck High’s “That One Green
Team,” which designed a home that featured solar photovoltaics for power,
permeable pavement to minimize stormwater runoff, renewable materials,
skylights that let natural light into the house, and a vegetable garden.
Finishing third was Hamtramck’s “Team
Lightnetics,” whose home featured LED lighting, occupancy-sensing light
switches, and heavy use of renewable materials.
Oak Park High School’s “Team College Bound” took fourth
place. In all, 17 teams from eight high schools participated.
Other participating high schools included Central Collegiate
Academy of Detroit, Cody High School’s
Detroit Institute of Technology, Denby High School in
Detroit, Melvindale High School, Osborn Collegiate Academy of Mathematics,
Science and Technology of Detroit, and Southfield Regional Academic Campus.
Launched in 2012 in partnership with the United Way for
Southeastern Michigan, Engineering SMArT Detroit gives high school students the
opportunity to apply science, engineering and technology in real life
situations – and find out first-hand how those core subjects can have a direct
impact on people’s lives. The event’s name is an acronym for Science,
Mathematics, Architecture and Technology.
The student teams research and design an energy efficient
home by drawing architectural designs and writing an essay on their engineering
design experiences throughout the semester. The teams then give an oral
presentation on their design to judges who are professionals in architecture
and engineering.
Students learn about energy efficiency, home construction
and architecture. And in preparing for the competition, students gain valuable
skills in time management, public speaking and presentation.
Dozens of volunteer engineer mentors worked with the 17
participating teams to help them understand energy concepts like environmental
challenges, the electrical grid, alternative energies and energy efficient
building materials, as well as how to do architectural drawings to scale.
Students also got to take field trips, including one to the Smart House at DTE
Energy Headquarters. Dozens more volunteer engineer judges with expertise in
energy and building systems spent Thursday morning winnowing the entries down
to the four finalists, using a scoring rubric developed by ESD volunteers.
The competition, the first of its kind in Michigan, expands
on ESD’s successful tradition of supporting youth education in engineering. The
ultimate goal is to expand the competition throughout Michigan.
Engineering SMArT Michigan seeks to help solve a serious
problem in Michigan and across the country – a critical shortage of engineers
and related technical professionals. Experts predict that 80 percent of the
jobs that will be created over the next 10 years will require some form of
post-secondary STEM education. And urban areas supply far fewer students to
engineering schools than other geographic areas, mostly due to lack of exposure
to career opportunities.
The event is funded by the United Way for Southeastern
Michigan. Sponsors this year were the automotive supplier Denso, FirstMerit
Bank, Lawrence Technological University, Mr. Rooter plumbing, and the
engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.
Matt Roush is director of communications and public affairs for the Engineering Society of Detroit.
