Students Compete In Tech Challenge Saturday

A record 1,433 young learners from every corner of the Bay Area will gather at The Tech Museum Saturday to compete for top honors in Silicon Valley’s premier science and technology event: The Tech Challenge.

The youths, who come from all over, make up a record 335 tongue-in-cheek themed teams that will pit their ingenious devices against others in a daring contest to pluck “survivors” from an earthquake-ravaged bridge in this year’s challenge: “Shake, Rattle and Rescue.”

Students from Los Altos' will be among them, according to Laura Hoang, who was handling publicity for the event. 

The Tech Challenge, presented by Cisco as part of a three-year sponsorship comprising financial resources, employee volunteers and a technology donation, introduces and reinforces the scientific and engineering process with a hands-on team project. Through the competition, students acquire key skills for a 21st-century global society. The competition’s focus on a real-world problem distinguishes it from many other science-based programs for youth in grades 5 through 12. An awards ceremony recognizing "Best Overall Solution" to "Most Spectacular Failure" follows the event.

“As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Tech Challenge, we are reminded of the more than 14,000 students who have participated over the years and, having been inspired by the hands-on project and its application to real-world problems, have gone on to purposeful careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math,” said museum President Tim Ritchie. 

 A signature program of The Tech Museum, The Tech Challenge celebrates its 25th year and is already proving to be a landmark occasion: A record number 1,433 participants (1,175 last year); a record 48 percent of which are girls (45 percent last year), and the highest involvement of Title I schools of any science and technology competition in the region at 37 percent.

“The Tech Challenge ensures that students gain vital skills in, science, technology, engineering and math,” said Blair Christie, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Cisco.

“We are particularly proud to support the competition because of the museum’s proactive recruitment of students from all walks of life, especially those who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to these fields,” added Christie, who serves on the board of directors for the museum.

“The Challenge offers students an array of possibilities that one day can change the way they work, live, play and learn – and at the same time encouraging these talented students to grow into future leaders that may one day lead a company in this Valley.”