With more than 400 Montgomery County students and 350 parents in attendance, J.E.T.S., a free event held on Saturday, Dec. 4th, featured fun-filled activities exploring bioscience, engineering, and computer technology. Students had the opportunity to act as a crime scene investigative (CSI) agent, work with a robot, and design and develop video games. Additionally, engineers and scientists from more than 30 participating companies including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Discovery, Human Genome Sciences, the National Institute of Technology, Microsoft, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology were on hand as event presenters.
USG also sponsored an essay contest in conjunction with J.E.T.S. Day, asking students to share their past experiences and ideas about science and technology. Winners were awarded Kindles, iPod Touches, and scholarships to science camp. The essay winners were:
- 1st place: Jared Lampshire, 7th grader, Farquhar Middle School
- 2nd place: Ismaeel Y. Dasti, 8th grader, Shady Grove Middle School
- 3rd place: Diana H. Leung, 7th grader, Thomas Pyle Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Vijay K. Upadhya, 8th grader, Julius West Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Chandrashekar Ganesan, 7th grader, Roberto Clemente Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Rejoice D. Attor, 6th grader, Parkland Magnet Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Graham W. Ovington, 6th grader, Tilden Middle School
Winners of the J.E.T.S. essay contest celebrate their achievement with Dr. Jerry Weast, Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Ellen Quinn of Northrop Grumman, and Dr. Stewart Edelstein, Associate Vice Chancellor for the University System of Maryland and USG Executive Director.
The final event of the day was a high school and college fair that provided information about preparing for engineering, technology, and science careers through the high school and college educational pathways available in Montgomery County.
J.E.T.S. Day was sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, The Beatty Companies, Comcast, The Gazette, Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools, J. Craig Venter Institute, Women in Technology, Hughes Bethesda AFCEA Chapter, Traville Village Center, American Association of University Women, BAE Systems, Human Genome Sciences, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Sodexo, and Way2GoMaryland.
Click photo below to view more pictures from J.E.T.S. Day.
Click here to learn more about the J.E.T.S. Club.