Masuk Free Press

Robotics and STEM-related careers have risen in popularity over the years. In support of this, activities like VEX Robotics have been created to introduce kids to a potential future in technology. But for a select few Masuk students who attend Bridgeport Aquaculture, the world of STEM goes beyond just Masuk Robotics. The Sikorsky STEM Challenge is a robotics and engineering-based competition designed to give Connecticut high school students a glimpse into the world of engineering by having student teams work with mentors to solve real-world problems.

“The Sikorsky STEM Challenge is like living as an engineer,” said Masuk sophomore, Marshall Linn. “It’s a bit like living in the career path.” 

“It’s sort of like a club where you compete against other schools who also have the club, and you have a challenge that Sikorsky gives you,” said Hannah Forte, another Masuk sophomore. 

Linn and Forte are two of the four Masuk students participating in this year’s challenge. Along with Linn and Forte, sophomore William Steese and senior Ella Mathien are also competing. Students competing are led by Raisa Matthews, the physics and engineering teacher at Bridgeport Aquaculture.

The Sikorsky STEM challenge is made up of collaboration between students and the Sikorsky Engineering community, who collaborate to figure out the solution to current issues..

“We get a challenge assigned every year, and we complete a task based on four different presentations,” said Steese. “This year’s task is to make a new landing gear for plane crashes that will be able to survive and reduce casualties.”

Matthews further described the mission, adding that the overall goals of the task are to “safely absorb crash landing shock, measure impact felt by passengers and integrate into existing aircraft platform.”

But the challenge is not just a design competition — it’s also meant as a glimpse into the world of engineering. 

“I want to be an aeronautical engineer, so partaking in the Sikorsky STEM challenge helped. It gave me a great insight into what being a Sikorsky engineer might be like, and it added to my collage resume, so I feel like it was worth it,” said Mathien. “I originally joined because I like helicopters and aircraft, and I thought it would be a good step towards the career I wanted. And it is, I made a lot of really good connections and am getting some really good skills out of it.” 

  “It does make me want to be an engineer because it prepares you for actual practices that engineers use in their daily lives,” said Linn. 

Although it shares some commonalities with   Masuk’s VEX robotic program, certain key aspects are different.

“It’s not really similar to robotics. With VEX, you have several competitions, and with Sikorsky, you only have one big one,” said Forte. 

Other differences include the fact the VEX is focused on robotics and programming, while the Sikorsky STEM challenge is geared toward problem-solving, engineering and collaboration. Both programs do, however, assist in getting high school students exposed to STEM-related topics.

Despite the Sikorsky STEM challenge being a competition, its only reward is the skills made and the addition of being a college resume booster. The experience provided is an award in itself.

“There really is no prize,” said Steese. “Winning is just knowing you did well.” 

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that “employment of aerospace engineers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2023-2033.” 

Exposing high school students to this career is crucial in building America’s future. Aerospace engineers help design everything from the helicopters used in war to the planes that are flown daily to get the average person to their desired destination. They even help build spacecraft used by NASA. Although an expected 6 percent growth might not seem like a lot, that’s projected to be about 4,200 new openings created annually across the next decade. Jobs need to be filled, and Sikorsky is attempting to help with that. While extracurricular activities might seem minor, they serve as important steps in helping to build America’s fu working generation; The Sikorsky STEM challenge is proof of that.