Contest promotes STEAM education in local schools
Giti Tire, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, is pleased to announce the winners of its fourth annual Math & Science Competition in Chester County, where the company maintains its first North American manufacturing facility:
- Elementary Division: Chester Park School of Inquiry
- Middle School Division: Great Falls Middle School
- High School Division: Chester High School
Ever since planting a flag in North America with its Chester County plant, Giti Tire has worked to cultivate the next generation of engineers and manufacturers in the local community by investing in education.
The company partnered with the Chester County School District to create Giti Math & Science clubs in schools across the area to help students develop valuable STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) skills. The clubs meet several times throughout the year, culminating with an annual interscholastic contest.
This March, following a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Giti sponsored its fourth Math & Science Competition, which encourages Chester County students to get hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology like 3D printing while inspiring them to develop a love of learning and problem-solving.
The competition projects were:
- Elementary school team – Develop and use models to describe the characteristics and classifications of the Earth’s continental landforms with emphasis on volcanoes.
- Middle school team – Micro-Drone Lift, tied with the forces and motion curriculum and supporting physical science and engineering principles.
- High school team – Apply physics principles to design and create a device that minimizes the force on an egg during a vertical drop and construct an explanation for the design.
“Giti Tire cares about Chester County, not just today but for years to come,” said Phang Wai Yeen, CEO of Giti Tire Manufacturing (USA) Ltd.
“While we have been proud to provide an exceptional array of jobs today, we are also always thinking about the jobs of tomorrow. We want to do everything we can to equip local students with the knowledge and passion for technology that will eventually make them valuable members of the workforce right here at home.”
The competition is divided into three levels – elementary, middle and high school – and has included projects over the years ranging from describing the earth’s continental land forms to applying physics to an egg drop.
The students also have to use writing skills to prepare a report detailing their process and then test their public speaking ability by delivering a presentation to a panel of judges.
“Developing STEAM skills from an early age is critically important to help prepare our students for the future,” said Dr. Antwon Sutton, Chester County Superintendent.
“Thanks to the generous support of Giti Tire, we have been able to instill a love of learning in Chester County students that will serve them well long after they graduate.”
This year, elementary school competitors were tasked with building an originally designed mini-car using a 3D-printer, powered solely by the energy of a mousetrap.
Middle school teams modeled and designed a 3D-printed tower, which was measured for height while bearing a load of 2.5 pounds.
Finally, high school teams modeled and designed a 3D-printed bridge, which was tested for the highest structural efficiency at its breaking point.
Participants from the schools presented their projects to a panel of judges on March 29th and 30th, and the winners were honored in an awards ceremony on the 31st.
Giti Tire congratulates the winners from Chester Park School of Inquiry, Great Falls Middle School and Chester High School on their successful projects and applauds all of the students for their enthusiastic participation.