Students from Wiscasset Middle High School's principles of engineering class competed at University of Maine in Orono in the statewide 10th annual Windstorm Challenge. Students were tasked with creating the most stable offshore wind turbine hull and presenting their ideas to a panel of judges.

This was WMHS's first year competing and, with around 1,000 in attendance, the competition was fierce. Our students spent the semester learning concepts in physics and engineering, such as determining rotational balance, buoyant forces and metacentric determinations. We split into two teams: The Unsinkables, consisting of freshmen Dominic Peddle and Kiernan Atwood; and Wiscasset 1, consisting of senior Cameron Main and juniors Erik Dube and Brandon Jansen.

While WMHS didn't place in the top three in our first appearance, the designs were stable and the judges gave positive reviews about the quality of the presentations. Our four non-seniors plan to go back for a top result next year with all the knowledge and skills they've gained.