More than 100 teens from 17 high schools will put their physics and engineering skills
to the test, attempting to paddle boats made solely of cardboard and duct tape without
sinking. This third-annual boat race will be held at the University of Houston (UH)
April 13.
Students from local high schools will spend several weeks applying lessons learned
in physics class to build these handmade vessels that are buoyant and stable enough
to row more than 160 feet across a swimming pool. The fastest and least waterlogged
teams will come away with cash prizes, pizza parties and plaques.
The Boat Regatta competition is intended to encourage students at predominately minority
and underprivileged high schools to study physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics
and engineering. It is part of a recruiting effort by the Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance
for Minority Participation (H-LSAMP) for UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
(NSM). The contest is, however, open to all schools and students in grades 9-12. 
The event is part of the Grand Challenges series jointly sponsored by UH’s H-LSAMP,
BP and NSM. H-LSAMP is a well-established, federally funded program between UH and
local schools with the goal of recruiting and funding minority students who choose
to major in one of the so-called STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics. Since H-LSAMP began more than a decade ago, the number of minority
undergraduates receiving science or engineering degrees from UH has risen 50 percent.
| WHO: | High school students racing cardboard boats in a swimming pool |
| WHAT: | Third Annual Boat Regatta at UH |
| WHEN: | 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 13 |
| WHERE: | University of Houston Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium Map: http://www.uh.edu/campus_map/buildings/CRWC.php Parking for media will be available across the street in parking lot 20C |
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Editor’s note: For a video of the event, visit http://vimeo.com/24534383. Photos are available to media by contacting Lisa Merkl.
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