At a glance
Thirty-eight students representing seven regional high schools recently participated in the third annual Alfred State Technology Challenge on the Alfred State campus.
Thirty-eight students representing seven regional high schools recently participated in the third annual Alfred State Technology Challenge on the Alfred State campus.
The competition is technically a two-day event intended to provide an opportunity for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to showcase their technology and business skills. The competition includes three aspects: the design and construction of a solar oven; the redesign and construction of a robot; and the creation of a business plan for the product.
The technology component of the project consisted of solar oven design and construction, robot design and construction, and a baking task. The business component of the project included development of a business plan for the device (i.e. company name, mission statement, marketing materials, etc.).
Earlier in the semester, the all-female teams, per a Carl D. Perkins grant, and faculty from each school visited the Alfred State College Wellsville campus to receive the design kits, competition regulations, and judging criteria.
On March 25, the teams and their faculty reconvened at the Alfred State College campus in Alfred to showcase their creations.
The overall winner was Rush-Henrietta; Williamson #1 and Williamson #2 took second and third place, respectively. Other participating schools included Wildwood BOCES #1; Wildwood BOCES #2; Buffalo City Schools; Prattsburgh Central; Portville Central; and Rochester City Schools.
Lunch for participants and their advisers was provided by ACES (Auxiliary Campus Enterprise and Services, the campus dining, vending, and transportation provider). Other support was provided by the ASC Schools of Applied Technology and Management and Engineering Technology and by a gender equity grant under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act Amendments of 1990 administered by the NYS Education Department. Pictured here, students assemble the solar ovens.