This event has been cancelled due the increased concerns about COVID-19. We apologize for the inconvenience.
ROME, NY — The Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), in partnership with the Griffiss Institute (GI), is proud to host the 12th Annual AFRL Challenge Competition, as one of their joint STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives.
The 2020 AFRL Challenge Competition begins Monday, April 6, 2020, and will end on Friday, April 10, at Griffiss Institute, 725 Daedalian Drive, Rome, New York.
The Challenge Competition is an annual competitive STEM initiative for local high school students. It is held during a week when students are on a school break and its intent is to provide a more realistic view into the types of high-tech problems the nation is facing today, and how engineers and researchers go about dissecting and solving these problems. The best explanation to describe the competition is “mental marathon”.
The teams will receive the challenge problem upon arrival Monday morning, and have the next three days to solve it. AFRL/RI engineers and scientists will be on hand to answer questions regarding the challenge problem throughout the week.
For many of the participants, being able to spend a week bouncing ideas off local engineers will be an incredible benefit and opportunity.
The AFRL Challenge Competition gives many of the participants a new perspective on the field of engineering and they get to learn more about the work that takes place at both, the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, and the Griffiss Institute.
The winners of the competition will be awarded paid summer internships, as well as other prizes.
On Friday, April 10, 2020, at 8:30 am, competition judging will begin, followed by a luncheon at 12:30 pm, and an awards ceremony at 1:15 pm, where parents and local dignitaries will be on hand to support, congratulate, and recognize these technology leaders of tomorrow.
“This year’s challenge is being developed by the Information Intelligence Systems & Analysis Division. The students will decipher data to reveal a former Airman’s secret. As always, I believe it will be an interesting challenge for the students,” says Jeff DeMatteis, the AFRL/RI STEM Outreach Coordinator.
The eight area high schools participating in the 2020 Challenge are:
Central Valley Academy
Students: Shreya Patel and Nicholas Shedd
Teacher: Wes Laurion
Holland Patent High School
Students: Glen Gaige and Arianna Lange
Teacher: Richard Zacek
Holy Cross Academy
Students: Noelle DiRuzzo and Lily Domes
Teacher: John DiRuzzo
New York Mills High School
Students: Kiley Lyons and Hannah Mahardy
Teacher: Michael Eramo
Oneida High School
Students: Olivia Cameron and Sebastian Dustin
Teacher: Pete Gillander
Rome Free Academy
Students: Elena Davis and Curtis Pilny
Teacher: Albert Bangs
Thomas R. Proctor High School
Students: GayNay Doo and Louis Robinson
Teacher: Asia Rosa
Westmoreland High School
Students: Calvin Hooper and Austin Millington
Teacher: Brandon Fleming
This year’s AFRL Challenge Competition is sponsored by CUBRC.