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For the past four years, several teams of high school students from across Georgia have participated in the annual Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) competition hosted by the University of Georgia in February 2013.

This year, participating middle and high schools have an opportunity to earn one of two Northrop Grumman scholarships to cover the $125 registration fees for the day-long learning experience on the UGA campus simply by registering and meeting a set of criteria.

Mativo

TEAMS brings math and science to life for students, fostering creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and problem solving, said John Mativo, an assistant professor in the College of Education’s program of workforce education, and a College of Engineering faculty member who is co-directing the competition.

The competition features high school (grades 9-12) and middle school (grades 7-8) students participating in teams of four to eight members, using real-world applications of math and science to solve some of today’s greatest engineering challenges. The TEAMS 2013 theme is “Engineering a Secure Cyberspace.”   For the high school competition there are two parts: a 90-minute, 80 multiple choice question session and a 90-minute, open-ended, four-question session. The middle school competition includes an afternoon session of 40 multiple choice and 4 essay tasks, with each session 60 minutes in length.

Participating teams seeking one of the Northrop Grumman Scholarships are required to register for the competition through the TEAMS website: TEAMS registration site is https://www.registermychapter.com/TSA/TEAMS/reg/) and indicating that your host is UGA. The UGA website information is found at: http://www.engr.uga.edu/~mvteachr/TEAMS.html. On the day of the competition, your school will be reimbursed the registration cost of $125 for your team if you meet the criteria below and you were notified as one of the two finalists.

1. You must be either a first-time team participating in the competition at UGA or you can demonstrate financial need.
2. You are a new club in your school, such as Engineering/Science Club.
3. Distance from UGA.

To earn a scholarship: Teams must write a paragraph of approximately 500 words on why you should be considered for the Northrop Grumman Scholarship. The application should be emailed to: Dr. John Mativo at jmativo@uga.edu by Jan. 11, 2013. You will be notified by January 15 if you are awarded the scholarship.

The competition benefits students by showing them why math and science matters in the real world. Its academic rigor challenges students with new academic topics and presents new ideas. In addition, participants get inside information about college admissions and could win great prizes, said Mativo.

Last year, participating teams from local area schools brought 80 students for competition. The event will be held on Feb., 20, 2013.

Mativo is co-directing the competition with Chi Thai, an associate professor in the College of Engineering; and assisted by Nancy Vandergrift, a program coordinator with the Office of STEM Education.

More than 10,000 students across the country participate in TEAMS competitions. Questions are aligned with national education standards. UGA is one of two sites hosting the competition in Georgia. The other site is Georgia Institute of Technology.