Andover High Students Compete in Women of Science Competition

On Saturday, December 19th, 2015, two teams from Andover High School travelled to Bedford High School to compete in the 13th Annual Women of Science Competition, a day-long science and engineering event during which 40 teams of three women teams competed in four events for glory and cash prizes.

        Front row -  Team 1: Aesha Ghandhi, Emily Hilman, Melanie Hilman
        Back row -  Team 2: Emai Lai, Cindy Pan, Allison MacKenzie

This was the first time teams from Andover High have participated in this event so the teams were not really sure of what to expect.  Prior to the event, each team had been preparing for an event called "Queen of the Air" in which each team constructed flying vehicle powered by either elastic bands and/or a mouse trap. The vehicle could be constructed out of any materials but needed to leave nothing behind on the launch pad after take off.  Team scores were based on distance flown and proximity to a center line.  The launch of the vehicles served as the final event of the competition.

The other three events included an instant design challenge involving the construction of a marshmallow launcher which was then used to try to sink and many marshmallows as possible into a series of target cups.

Marshmallow in flight

The competition also included a lab-based station quiz through which each team visited each of ten stations where they were asked to complete tasks such as identifying parts of anatomical models, solving genetics problems, designing electrical circuits, and identifying tools and lab equipment.  Another event followed a quiz show format in which students answered questions for points.

Pondering a question during the "You BET it's science!" event

One of the special element of the program was a lunch session during which members from different teams were mixed at each table and had the opportunity to have a conversation with a female professional from a science or engineering field.  Participants had the opportunity to have a conversation about their table guest about their education and career pathways and hear about their experiences working in a science or engineering field.

Chatting with a science professional over pizza during the lunch break

All of the Andover participants agreed that the day was well spent and they would return again next year if given the opportunity.  Andover team one was pleased to learn that they finished in seventh place overall.  After an enjoyable day at the 2015 Women of Science Competition, it is highly likely Andover High will be represented again at WOS in 2016.