Students at Durham School of the Arts Qualify for World’s Largest Rocket Contest National Finals
May 10, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Durham School of the Arts Team Named Among Top 100 Teams to Compete in Team America Rocketry Challenge National Finals on May 14
Durham, NC—Durham School of the Arts Team 1 will compete in the national finals of the world’s largest rocket contest after qualifying among the top 100 teams in April, beating out the scores of 607 other participating student teams from across the country. The team will now travel to compete in the final fly‐off of the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) on Saturday, May 14, near Washington, DC.
The contest challenges middle and high school students across the country to design and build a rocket that will climb to 750 feet and stay aloft for between 40 and 45 seconds using a 15‐inch diameter parachute for a recovery device. Teams must also transport a payload of one egg in their
rocket and return it unbroken. Students compete for $60,000 in prizes and scholarships, as well as a chance to compete nationally at the finals held at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. (near Washington, D.C.). The winning team also earns the chance to attend the International Air Show in Paris, France.
This is third year Durham School of the Arts (DSA) has participated in the TARC competition. It is a required project of Dr. Jeffrey LaCosse’s AP Physics C course at DSA. This is the first year a DSA team has qualified for the finals.
DSA Team members are: Theresa Meyer, team leader, Sarvani Gandhavadi, Krista Katzenmeyer, and Frances Starn. The students are in 12th grade. The team’s informal name is “Team Pumba,” named after the character in the Disney production “The Lion King”.
About 6,000 students from across the country took part in the contest in this, its ninth year. Since TARC’s first contest in 2003, over 60,000 students have participated in the challenge. The Aerospace Industries Association sponsors the contest with the National Association of Rocketry, NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the American Association of Physics Teachers and AIA member companies.
"TARC is a great way for students to get real aerospace engineering experience, and it’s also a lot of fun," said Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "We are delighted DSA has joined this important effort.”
TARC is aimed at attracting students to science, math and technology education and, ultimately, careers in the aerospace industry. With nearly 60 percent of the aerospace workforce over the age of 50, AIA and other industry leaders hope to spark the interest of future aerospace engineers with programs like TARC. For more information about the Team America Rocketry Challenge visit www.rocketcontest.org.
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Tahira Stalberte
Chief Communications Officer
P. 919.560.9112
C. 919.358.8876
tahira.stalberte@dpsnc.net
Jeff Nash
Communications Coordinator
P. 919.560.2602
C. 919.412.7947
jeff.nash@dpsnc.net
