The Augusta Utilities Department has named the winners of the 6th annual Georgia model water tower competition on March 2.
Sixth and 8th grade middle school students in the Richmond County School System spent the past several weeks creatively problem-solving and engineering a water tower, and this competition hopes to foster interest and proficiency in STEAM fields.
Students participating in the competition must design and build water towers with specific size and heigh requirements. They were judged based on three criteria: structural efficiency, hydraulic efficiency, and design ingenuity. Students also had to complete interviews with a panel of industry professionals about their towers. The towers could be built out of anything, but were encouraged and rewarded for using creative designs and recycled materials, like everyday household items.
Participants competed across the district at schools, such as A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School, W.S. Hornsby Middle School, and the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School. Students built and submitted functioning water tower models, and AUD staff graded and judged the submissions. First and second place winners will advance to the state competition in April.
“We are incredibly impressed by the creativity, dedication, and technical proficiency demonstrated by all the participants in this year’s Middle School Engineering Challenge,” said Director of Augusta Utilities Wes Byne. “These young innovators represent the future of STEM, and their passion for tackling real-world problems is truly inspiring.”
The first-place winners were Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks from A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School. Second place winners were Trey Brown and A’Deren Pollard from A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School. Third place winners were Vacshaun Murray and Sheetal Rao from A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School.
The superlative awards are as follows:
- Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Design: Joshua Hawthorne, W.S. Hornsby Middle School
- Outstanding Achievement in Artistic Design: Kyndal Morris and Marquis Ware, A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
- Outstanding Achievement in Structural Excellence: Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks, A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
- Outstanding Achievement in Presentation (Judge’s Choice): Kyndal Morris and Marquis Ware, A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
- Outside Achievement in “Outside the Box Imagination:” Kareena Plummer, W.S. Hornsby Middle School
- Most Cost-Effective Tower: Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks, A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
To view more photos from this year’s Georgia Model Water Tower Competition, please visit https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/u00dhvz0imsgqjfzkddjp/h?rlkey=hviaedd0vzm6uxmxjs8gguwjh&e=2&dl=0.
