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The Thrill of TEAMSThe Tests of Engineering Aptitude Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) exam is one of the most mind wrenching and rigorous exams high school students can take.
However, it is also one of the most exciting and fun examinations high school students can take. Imagine taking an exam where talking during the exam is encouraged, where it's all right to take a look at your neighbor's paper, and where you can look up anything you want in any textbook or notes you have. Imagine competing for bragging rights with other high schools around the state. Also imagine competing with hundreds of other high schools around the nation. On Saturday, March 9th, 2002, the UH College of Engineering played host to thirteen varsity and three junior varsity teams from ten schools who participated in this year's TEAMS competition held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Campus Center Ballroom. Eight of the ten schools participating were from Oahu: Kailua High School, Kamehameha Schools, Maryknoll School, Mililani High School, Moanalua High School, Punahou School, Waianae High School, and Waipahu High School. Hawaii Preparatory Academy from the Big Island and Seabury Hall from Maui represented the neighbor island schools. The competition is a unique and challenging academic program that allows high school students to apply the knowledge gained in their schoolwork to solve real engineering problems. These problems are the same type of questions engineering college students face in their classes.
The TEAMS exam is given in two parts. Part one consists of a series of objective multiple- choice questions related to various engineering situations. Part two requires students to describe and defend their solutions to open-ended, subjective questions related to problems from part one. The TEAMS Competition is sponsored by JETS, a national non-profit education organization that helps promote interest in engineering, science, math, and technology. However, there was also local support for every school. Working engineers from various local companies and organizations donated their time to help prepare the teachers and students for the competition. These local companies and organizations also served as sponsors, providing time, prizes, and monetary donations. This year's sponsors included:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) The answers from part one of the exam are corrected on the day of the competition and are used to determine local and state standings. The scores from the part one of the exam are also used to determine eligibility for national scoring. Answers from part two of the examination for eligible teams are sent to JETS to be corrected and to determine national ranking. Here are the results for the first part of the exam. 2002 TEAMS Exam 1 Competition AwardsOverall Varsity Trophy Winner: Seabury Hall Varsity Divisions 4, 6, 8
1st Place - Seabury Hall Varsity Divisions 5, 7
1st Place - Kailua High School Junior Varsity
1st Place - Kamehameha Schools (Team A) Top Scoring Teams in Each Division
Varsity Division 4-Seabury Hall
Five varsity teams and one junior varsity team advanced to the national competition. The varsity teams from Kailua High School, Maryknoll School, Mililani High School, Punahou School (Team A), and Seabury Hall advanced. Kamehameha Schools (Team A) junior varsity team also moved onto the national competition. Their scores will be competing with all the other schools that qualified for the TEAMS national competition. The TEAMS competition offers students the opportunity to see how engineering touches every aspect of society and see how the math and science they are learning in school is used in the field of engineering. It's also a great learning experience for students because it teaches them how to work in a team and to think critically to solve problems. At the end of the day, many of the students who participated used a potpourri of words to describe their TEAMS experience: fun, grueling, exciting, educational, insightful, difficult, and enjoyable. How many tests can be fun, difficult, and exciting all at the same time? There's only one exam that can say that: TEAMS. If you would like to support the 2003 TEAMS Competition please contact Cheryl Sato Ishii at 808-956-8404 or via email at ishiic@hawaii.edu. |
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