More than 200 students on teams representing six high schools and middle schools took
part in the annual Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS)
competition on Feb. 19 at Trine University.
The event is a qualifier for the TEAMS national competition, to be held during the
national Technology Student Association (TSA) conference June 28 to July 2 at National
Harbor near Washington, D.C..
During the two parts of the contest conducted at Trine, the teams, consisting of eight
students, completed a multiple-choice test and a design/build challenge, where they
worked on and tested their solution to an assigned project. A third portion of the
competition was conducted at the schools.
The theme for this year’s TEAMS competitions is “The Engineering Brain.”
The Trine event awards travelling trophies to the teams with the highest scores on
the multiple-choice test in Divisions I (11th- and 12th-grade teams) and II (ninth-
and 10th-grade teams).
A team from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, was the champion in Division I,
taking the John J. McKetta Outstanding Junior Engineering Team Award. Team members
were Elisabeth Casetti, Seunghoon Sun, Courtney Sharpe, Ian Coates, Philipp Roehm,
Ricky Chapple, David Simonetti and Rajeev Datta.
Another team from Penn won Division II and the Mike McKetta Outstanding Junior Engineering
Team Award. Team members included Peter Tiebout, Anna Van Avermaete, Olivia Venditti,
Sydney Domal, David Wang, Ben Bedient, Jody Meier and Ryan Ludwig.
Both teams were coached by Rebecca Tagliaferri.
A team from Discovery Middle School in Granger, Indiana, won the middle school division.
Team members were Rudra Patel, Carl Xu, Brock Oldick, Derick Shi, Zichu Wang, Arda
Kurama, Cole Klinedinst and Drew Wolter. The team is coached by Scott Vandygriff.
Teams from Canterbury High School in Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo (Michigan) Christian High
School, LaPorte High School and Schmucker Middle School in Mishawaka also competed.
The TEAMS competition is hosted by Trine University’s McKetta Department of Chemical
and Bioprocess Engineering.