Urbana Students Win Design Challenge

URBANA, Ohio – On November 1, students from Urbana High School were announced as the winners of the second annual Champaign County Design Challenge during the county-level competition at Urbana University. The winning team, consisting of Ron Ragland, Bryant McKenzie, Dale Mason, Bryant Chamberlain, and Johnny Moore, are part of Ohio Hi-Point’s Advanced Manufacturing satellite program at Urbana High School.

During the month of October, approximately 90 students from Graham, Mechanicsburg, Triad, Urbana, and West Liberty-Salem participated in the Champaign County Design Challenge that coincided with National Manufacturing Month. The design challenge tasked student teams to design a mousetrap race car within a series of criteria and constraints under the guidance of an industry mentor.

“The Design Challenge was another success,” said Allison Koch, OHP Satellite Supervisor. “We had an increased number of business partnerships this year from four in 2018 to nine in 2019. With the increased involvement, each participating school was able to have two mentors.”

The challenge required the mousetrap car to have five simple machines and four wheels with the goal of the car going 20 feet. The teams could not purchase or 3D print materials.

“Judges and administrators shared that the quality of presentations made by students this year were very impressive. The students seemed to enjoy the mousetrap race car design and were excited to showcase their creations,” finished Koch.

Every student team competed at the school district level and the winning team from each school advanced to the county-level judging at Urbana University. During the event at Urbana University, the students also participated in a tradeshow with local manufacturers.

Judges for the county-level contest were George Walker of Advanced Technology Products (ATP); Andrea Mitchell of Job and Family Services (JFS); Nicole Rush of the St. Paris Public Library, and Shana Loveless of Urbana University.

The design challenge is such a unique opportunity for the students and engineers to work as a team,” said Marcia Bailey, Director of the Champaign Economic Partnership www.cepohio.com. “This experience allows the students to learn problem solving skills, interaction with local businesses and sharpening their oral presentation skills.”

The annual design challenge is a collaborative effort between the Champaign Economic Partnership, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, Urbana University, and local manufactures.

About Ohio Hi-Point

The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center develops our most valuable resource, people, by providing quality career-technical and academic education programs. Our High School and Satellite Divisions serve juniors and seniors from 14 partner school districts and offer more than 30 career training programs, while our Adult and Continuing Education Division has a strong focus on customized training, providing businesses the training needed to strengthen and prosper in the community.

The Ohio Hi-Point Career Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Superintendent Dr. Rick Smith | 2280 St. Rt. 540 Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311 | 937-599-3010

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