Invention Challenge
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Annual Invention Challenge is in their 25th year of offering this STEAM-based contest and Hawkins has hosted the regional event for more than 10 years. The challenge is a beloved event at Hawkins thanks to the deceased science teacher Mr. John Santos.
The JPL Invention Challenge was a pet project of MESA and our own Mr. John Santos, who passed away in 2022 just one day before his 64th birthday on March 24th. Hawkins HS is extremely proud to have hosted this regional challenge for more than 10 years and has vowed to carry on the legacy of Mr. Santos. The Hawkins 2024 JPL Challenge team is being guided by Ms. Kong and Mr. Velasquez.
This year’s objective? Create a device that launches fifty (50) officially supplied Peanut Candies into a target located five meters away in less than sixty seconds. The winner will be the team whose device generates the highest point total of peanut candies in the target.
According to their website, the JPL Invention Challenge combines the skills of creativity, team building, designing, fabrication, testing and complex problem solving. It’s considered unique because school teams that make it to the finals get to see what professional JPL teams have produced as the contest is run with both JPL teams and school teams competing side-by-side.
