TERRE HAUTE, Ind – The Terre Haute South Vigo High School varsity TEAMS team has placed first in the state.

TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science) is an annual science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition that challenges middle school and high school student teams to work collaboratively to solve real-world engineering challenges, applying their math and science knowledge in practical, creative ways.

Focused on a new theme each year, original academic and innovative concepts are developed for TEAMS based on the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges. Tackling these challenges requires critical job-readiness skills such as collaboration, analytical thinking, and multi-dimensional problem-solving. The 2020 TEAMS theme is “Engineering in the Wild.”

The state-level competition is a one-day, three-part competition, including:

Design/Build—Teams design and build a solution to an engineering challenge.

Multiple Choice—Teams use math and science skills to solve real-world engineering challenges.

Essay—Teams research and write an in-depth essay submitted electronically prior to their competition day.

Unfortunately, the national competition has been cancelled, but their essay and test scores were among the highest in the state. South’s team wrote an essay about making the Indianapolis Zoo more environmentally friendly. The competition took place on February 11 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Terre Haute South Vigo Team members included: Sam Cartwright, Jason Feng, Sara Hoggatt, Josh Jackson, Stephen Kallubhavi, Garett Loyed, Alisha Mastakar, and Gwennyth Menzie. They were coached by Samantha Henry.