UNDATED— A team of girls from L’Anse received an honorable mention in the “Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge” last month.
Sponsored by the Women of Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan, the event is a virtual, state-wide aerospace competition for girls in 4th-8th grade. It provides an opportunity for girls to see into the industry and gain early mentorship from women in the field.
Girls competed over four weeks to create a flight solution to one of three Challenge Statements dealing with problems on the earth, in the future, or in space. The competition involved critical thinking in the areas of engineering, marketing, design, business planning and sales. Female professional mentors working in these areas met with individual teams to answer questions, provide feedback, and teach them about their roles the aerospace industry. Participating in the competition were 24 teams consisting of two to six girls and 27 industry mentors from across the state.
The Most Creative Honorable Mention went to team “Mindful Engineering” from L’Anse. They created the HurriHelp, a drone that provides post-hurricane support. The team recognized the increase in frequency of hurricanes and created the HurriHelp to deliver supplies to stranded individuals. The drone also collects plastic waste, which is then turned into sunglasses as a part of the team’s fundraising efforts.
