High school participants of the Windblade challenge

About 425 students and teachers from 40 schools from all over Maine descended on the University of Maine campus last spring for the fourth annual Maine Wind Blade Challenge and the DeepCwind Consortium’s Windstorm Challenge.

“These events are the perfect combination of two of Maine’s greatest natural resources: deepwater offshore wind energy and talented students,” said Habib Dagher, director of UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “Both will usher Maine into the future as the world leader in composites technology and energy independence.”

The Windstorm Challenge is a middle and high school invention competition focusing on deepwater offshore wind technology. The challenge asks teams to design and construct a floating platform for a scale model wind turbine, then create a thorough business plan and sales pitch.

The winners of the UMaine Windblade and Windstorm Challenge

The designs are similar to those used in UMaine’s research program in deepwater and offshore wind power.

The Wind Blade Challenge, a program developed by the Maine Composites Alliance in partnership with the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the Maine Wind Industry Initiative, matches high school students with composites manufacturers in Maine to research, design and manufacture model wind blades.

All winning team members who go on to attend UMaine receive a $20,000 paid internship at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

Winners from the competitions are as follows:

Windstorm Challenge:

Overall 1st Place — Team MMA, Madison Area Memorial High School

Overall 2nd Place — Ben Danh Joe Alex, Madison Area Memorial High School

Overall 3rd Place — Seahawks, Boothbay Region High School

Overall 4th Place — Oober and the Goober, Middle School of the Kennebunks

Overall 5th Place — The Wok, Winthrop High School

Stability 1st Place — The Wok, Winthrop High School

Stability 2nd Place — Team MMA, Madison Area Memorial High School

Stability 3rd Place — W.I.B. – Seal Team 3, Old Town High School

Stability 4th Place — Lyndsay Marcus Hannah Cody, Madison Area Memorial High School

Stability 5th Place — Seahawk, Boothbay Region High School.

Wind Blade Challenge:

1st Place — Easton High School

2nd Place — Presque Isle High School Team No. 3

3rd Place — Mt. Blue High School

People’s Choice Award — Orono High School

Wind Blade Challenge Teacher of the Year — John McDonald of Foster Technology Center

Wind Blade Challenge Composite Partner of the Year — The Boat School of Eastport