DANBURY—The Brave Engineering team from Immaculate High School was invited to compete at the International Real World Design Competition in Washington, DC. Team members Nikolas Badinelli ‘22 (Danbury), Paulina Garcia ‘22 (Danbury), Carolyn Jandura ‘22 (Redding), Mario Perez ‘22 (Newtown), Nicole Radlliff ‘24 (New Fairfield), Ava Viola ‘23 (Sherman) and Yipeng (Simon) Zhao ‘24 (Danbury) were successful in their N-21 BE Eagle drone presentation and received the 2022 United States Design Viability merit award.
The team, led by teacher advisor Jeanine Antonios and mentored by Mrs. Ruthanne Szumski of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Engines was challenged to present their design evolution and final design which included the processes used to determine the viability of the specifications of their N-21 BE Eagle drone, command controls, operation center, ground control station, operations and safety measures, delivery capabilities, unplanned events and business model. “I congratulate the brave engineers team for all the effort. I am thrilled that their hard work paid off. Most importantly the skills they learned and the experience they got through competing are priceless,” shared advisor Jeanine Antonios.
This year the competition was held virtually. The judges credited the Brave Engineering team with their exceptional effort on designing the detail of the UAS and their business model. “The detail of the operation was described in great detail in the presentation and the information of the design concept and the selection of individual components were presented very comprehensively.”
The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual competition that provides high school students, grades 9-12, the opportunity to work on real-world engineering challenges in a team environment. Each year, student teams will be asked to address a challenge that confronts our nation’s leading industries. Students will utilize professional engineering software to develop their solutions and will also generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions. The RWDC provides students with opportunities to apply the lessons of the classroom to the technical problems that are being faced in the workplace.
Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, service to others, and personal goals. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s school system.
