Five L’Anse girls recently used their creativity to solve a unique problem, cleaning up the beach in the Great Lakes.
Students, Amelia Knapp, Juliet Knapp, Hannah Wilson, Addy Snyder and Genevieve Cadeau, competed with 17 other teams in the “Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge,” hosted by the Women of Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (WAIAM). Their comprehensive solution, which included cleaning up garbage, incinerating the waste, and then reusing the ash as a recycled material for road construction, won the team 2nd place in the state-wide competition.
The challenge tested the girl’s critical thinking skills, as they were to design a sustainable, unique way of flight that solves a problem – impressing both the competition’s mentors and judges from key industry players including L’Anse Manufacturing, Boeing, Gulfstream, and Calumet Electronics.
“The future of aerospace needs passionate and solution-oriented thinkers like this group of girls. We really enjoyed mentoring them during this competition,” said Kim Dunnebacke of L’Anse Manufacturing. Kim and Jessica Martin of Gulfstream served as their mentors throughout the three-week event.
After thinking of a variety of problems and potential solutions with their mentors, the team decided to find a solution to clean up beaches sustainably. Their solution used a drone, powered by solar panels, and equipped with a net and sensors, to find garage on the beach and bring it to an incinerator. Then the ash from the incinerator could be used for road construction projects. In addition to developing a prototype, they were required to create a business plan, marketing materials, and present a slide deck to a group of judges from major aerospace corporations across the state.
As the aerospace industry strengthens and grows in Michigan, it is vital to educate and inspire young girls to STEM and the possibilities of their future careers. The “Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge” serves as an excellent opportunity for girls to see into the industry and gain early mentorship from women in the field. “We hope this event inspires girls to pursue careers in STEM,” said Lissa Barron, WAIAM Co-Chair and Director of Communications for Barron Industries. “The aerospace industry needs more people – especially women – who are enthusiastic about solving unique problems.”
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