Sikorsky Challenges Kids to Create the Helicopter of the Future in Scholarship Competition

Stratford, Conn., — For the fourth consecutive year, Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., is giving kids, ages 9 through 16, a chance to compete for a $1,000 scholarship through the Sikorsky Helicopter 2050 Program and Challenge.

The national program, which challenges kids to design a Helicopter of the Future, kicked off June 1 and will run through September 30, 2014. Contestants will design a helicopter that addresses the potential challenges of 2050 and plan for how their Helicopters of the Future would overcome those challenges.

The competition is part of Sikorsky’s commitment to encouraging hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students throughout the country and gives the corporation an opportunity to develop long-term relationships with tomorrow’s engineers.

“I’m thrilled to see the growing popularity of the program with children and adults alike,” said Judy Bankowski, vice president and chief information officer at Sikorsky. “Every year, we see more teachers using the Challenge for their after-school clubs, as part of their STEM programs, for class assignments and more. The kids love it and, clearly, parents and teachers are seeing the same value of the program on children’s education that we do.”

The winner of the 2014 competition will receive the Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award along with the scholarship. In addition, the young innovator will be flown to Sikorsky’s headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut, to tour the assembly line of the iconic BLACK HAWK AND SEAHAWK® military helicopters and meet with Sikorsky rotorcraft engineers.

Last year’s winner, Vance Hudson, 15, of Collierville, Tennessee, designed an S-2050 helicopter with a detachable main section that would allow operators to configure the aircraft rapidly for multiple missions or deliver modular loads with life-saving resources for people in need. Vance created the helicopter for countries that cannot afford multiple versions of emergency aircraft.

Sikorsky is co-sponsor of the annual challenge with By Kids For Kids, a Connecticut-based organization whose educational content inspires kids to become successful inventors. The Challenge honors company founder Igor Sikorsky who, in 1939, led an engineering team that developed a vertical lift machine with a core design that is still used in 95 percent of helicopters flying today.

Museums throughout the country will use fun, hands-on activities to help students imagine the environmental future and challenges of helicopters. Teachers and museum staff can sign up at www.helicopter2050.com to receive free program materials. Students can enter the competition at www.helicopter2050.com.

By Kids For Kids® (BKFK®) is a platform that empowers youth invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. BKFK promotes youth social innovation and partners with leading corporations to inspire product development, crucial technology skills, invention, and innovation in young people. BKFK provides a unique platform for young people to develop, showcase, and commercialize their products, inventions and entrepreneurship. BKFK’s “cycle of innovation” develops critical 21st Century skills in our nation’s youth. The company provides educational resources, curriculum and challenges that promote social change, product development and entrepreneurial endeavors. For more about BKFK visit www.bkfk.com.

Featured

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

Digital Edition