Engineering the Future

As a school dedicated to continual growth, SAA-SDS is always looking at ways to expand our curriculum, support student academic exploration, and truly prepare our students for their future. With faculty members that are passionate about our mission and our students, like Upper School Science Teachers Katherine Becking and David Tran, our girls have opportunities to strive for excellence in and out of the classroom.

For the past three years, students in Mrs. Becking’s Conceptual Chemistry Class have submitted an invention project as part of their course grade. Last spring Mrs. Becking decided to expand the notion of this project by having her students submit their inventions to the Memphis-Area Joint Engineers Council (MJEC) Student Contest. This contest, a part of the organization’s Engineers Week activities, is a competition for middle and high school students. According to the MJEC, “it is an opportunity for students to express their creativity and demonstrate their ingenuity by working on concept projects designed to improve the quality of life.”

Proudly, three of the ten finalists named in the MJEC competition are St. Agnes students: Stella Billups, Taylor Ann Spears, and Catherine Walls.  These three recently presented their inventions in the Championship Round, which was judged by local professionals from different engineering disciplines. Their inventions sought to use technology to improve peoples’ lives through increased exercise stamina and motivation, advanced toxin and allergen detection, and improved vision while working on electronic devices

Another opportunity for budding engineers at SAA is Canstruction, an event our students have taken part in for more than 12 years. Canstruction is a competition that engages participants in structural design while also allowing them to make a significant positive impact on hunger in their local community. Core team members for this year are Claire Berkenstock (12^th), Addie Brady (11^th), Emma Coady (12^th), Addison Hardwick (12^th), Anna Osias (10^th) and Liza Russ (9^th).

The students will use Tinkercad, a web app for creating 3D designs, to create a structure made solely of cans. They will build their design in person at the competition on the University of Memphis campus April 8. All of the cans used in the actual build will be donated to the Mid-South Food Bank after the competition.

Mr. Tran, mentor for the Canstruction team shared: “I love how the experienced members will always mentor the younger members to help the growth of the team. The students collaborate and trouble shoot through the design process and building to overcome challenges. This competition allows the girls to see that they are definitely qualified to pursue engineering and other STEM areas.”

In keeping with our mission, the MJEC and Canstruction competitions blend science with opportunities to generate change in the world. Mrs. Becking shared, “For me as a teacher and mother, to see our students progressing and take interest in their future contributions-not only Memphis, but our world-embodies their passion and belief that nothing is impossible.  Our students, as young women, have already surpassed stigmas that were once the norm in the Engineering Industry. Their ideas, inventions, and contributions matter! My hope is that I have instilled in them to never give up in pursuing their future endeavors.” 

To further encourage our students to explore opportunities in the field of Engineering, we are opening a year-long elective course entitled Engineering the Future which will introduce students to various topics in Technology and Engineering through four project-based modules. Beginning in the Fall of 2022, this course will be available to junior and seniors that have completed the required Biology and Chemistry courses.