Montgomery County Public Schools, in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, recognized regional winners of the Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program, where students showcased innovative projects addressing societal concerns. First-place winners from several MCPS schools will advance to the MESA State Competition on May 3, 2025, at the Applied Physics Laboratory.
According to the Montgomery County Students Information Technology Foundation (MCSITF), “Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), celebrated the regional winners of the Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) program held last Thursday, March 13, 2025. At the showcase, elementary, middle, and high school students shared their MESA projects, which included trash-cleaning robots, space ships, devices that monitor a baby’s breathing, and projects for the National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC), which focused on having students identify and address a societal concern.
This year, twenty-two projects were submitted to the competition. Volunteers from the Montgomery College STEM Club and other community members virtually judged the projects based on MESA rubrics. First, second, and third place winning teams were recognized and all first-place winners will advance to the MESA State Competition on May 3, 2025 at the APL. The schools representing MCPS at the State competition are from Page ES, Clemente MS, Hallie Wells MS, Einstein HS, Kennedy HS, and Paint Branch HS.
Steve Boden, the Foundations Office Supervisor who oversees the partnership said, “When I look at these students and their projects, I see a bright future for the science, engineering, and IT industries. It is evident that a lot of thought, testing, and revision went into these projects and I can’t wait to see how they modify them for the State competition.”