AZUSA, Calif., July 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Azusa campus recently concluded its year-end activities for the company's WORTHY (Worthwhile to Help High School Youth) program with an annual science/engineering competition and an awards dinner.
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WORTHY is a Northrop Grumman High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) mentoring program designed to encourage student interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and to pursue technical degrees. This serves the long-term goal of developing enough scientists and engineers to meet future industry employment needs.
"Participation in the WORTHY program offers a unique hands-on opportunity for students to further explore their interest in engineering by working with Northrop Grumman mentors and applying these principles to design and build a product capable of performing specific tasks," said Stephen J. Toner, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Azusa operations. "Providing students an environment that encourages new ways of thinking while improving their problem-solving skills will help to form a strong foundation to build upon as they pursue careers in the technical fields."
The 8th Annual WORTHY competition challenge was held on May 22. Students from Azusa High School and Gladstone High School, assisted by Northrop Grumman employee mentors, were tasked with modifying a 1:14 scale remote-control car capable of gathering various objects off the ground. The project's goal was to simulate a rover that could collect debris from Mars missions to be brought back to Earth.
Five teams, totaling 19 students and 16 mentors, competed in a timed scramble match to capture as many items as possible with their modified remote control cars and obtain the highest score within the confines of a 20-foot circular arena. The items consisted of desk flags, ping pong balls, decks of cards, floating water hazards and several random items.
"The WORTHY program is fantastic in that it allows us to economically provide benefits on several levels to some of our best and brightest students," said Ron Hart, Gladstone High School science department chairperson and WORTHY contact/chaperone. "Participants not only gain a true insight into the 'engineering process,' but also have the continuous and long-term opportunity to interact with professionals in the field on both a personal and project-based level."
"Gladstone High School is happy to have the opportunity to partner our students with Northrop Grumman in the WORTHY Program," said Keven Gayton, Gladstone High School assistant principal.
The year-end celebration dinner was held in June for the WORTHY students and their families, sponsored by Northrop Grumman. The students presented overviews of their projects and shared lessons learned during the program. Along with recognizing the WORTHY students, this year's recipients of the Northrop Grumman Engineering Scholar awards were also honored.
Students who successfully complete the WORTHY program are eligible for a partial college/university scholarship for four consecutive years. Scholarship requirements include full-time enrollment in an accredited academic program in engineering, physics, computer science or mathematics and maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
