EngineerGirl 2022 Writing Contest Winners Show How Engineering Can Help Meet United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

The National Academy of Engineering is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 EngineerGirl Writing Contest.

This year’s contest asked students in grades three through 12 to write an essay about how engineering can help humanity meet one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to the prizes awarded to students based on grade level, essays were selected regardless of grade for “special topic recognition” based on their excellent treatment of a given SDG. Winners were chosen from among nearly 800 essay submittals.

“I congratulate all of the 2022 EngineerGirl Writing Contest winners on their insightful essays explaining how engineering can help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations,” said NAE President John L. Anderson. “These inspiring young students show that engineers are at the forefront of sustainable development and that engineering solutions can lead to a more sustainable future.”

First place among third to fifth grade students was awarded to Isha Gupta, a fifth grade student at Daves Creek Elementary School in Cumming, Georgia, for her essay on using hydroponics as a solution to the global food crisis. Eighth grade student Chloe Weng from Fort Settlement Middle School in Sugar Land, Texas, won first place in the sixth to eighth grade level for her essay on engineering’s role in creating diagnostic devices in health care. Megan Haubrich, an 11th grade student at Fred C. Beyer High School in Modesto, California, won first place among entries from grades nine to 12 for her essay on engineering developments to pull water from air.

The 2022 EngineerGirl writing contest was sponsored by Oracle and North Carolina State University’s Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology, and Science. Awards are $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third place. Honorable mention winners receive EngineerGirl sweatshirts, and authors of essays given special topic recognition receive EngineerGirl T-shirts. The essays of all winners are published on the EngineerGirl website. The full list of winners is listed below:

Grades Three-Five

• First Place: Isha Gupta, fifth grade at Daves Creek Elementary School in Cumming, Georgia, for “Hydroponics Engineering: A Solution to Global Food Crisis”
• Second Place: Sawoo Youn, fourth grade at Sugarloaf Elementary School in Urbana, Maryland, for “Clean Water for Everyone”
• Third Place: Hailey Silva, fourth grade at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School in Apex, North Carolina, for “The Amazing Milk Chiller”
• Honorable Mention: Uma Blankinship, third grade at New Explorations into Science, Technology, and Math School (NEST+m) in Brooklyn, New York, for “Singling Out Single-Use Plastic”,
• Honorable Mention: Brooklyn Walsh, fourth grade in Suffield, Connecticut for “The Plastic Crisis”

Grades Six-Eight

• First Place: Chloe Weng, eighth grade at Fort Settlement Middle School in Sugar Land, Texas, for “Engineers Develop Diagnostic Devices for Global Health Using Frugal Innovation”

• Second Place: Jalen Blackwell, seventh grade at Gerstell Academy in Finksburg, Maryland, for “Engineering Sustainable Solutions to End Global Hunger”
• Third Place: Victoria McLeod, sixth grade homeschool student, for “Coral Innovators”
• Honorable Mention: Julia Abu, eighth grade at Victory Christian International School in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines, for “Engineering a Clean Earth”
• Honorable Mention: Claire Weng, seventh grade at Fort Settlement Middle School in Sugar Land, Texas, for “Cleaning Up the Oceans Using Sustainable Engineering”

Grades Nine–12

• First Place: Megan Haubrich, 11th grade at Fred C. Beyer High School in Modesto, California, for “Engineering Magic: Harvesting Water From Thin Air”
• Second Place: Audrey Lam, 10th grade at Longmeadow High School in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, for “Frugal Engineering Design Solutions in the Fight to Eradicate Malaria”
• Third Place: Katherine Lie, ninth grade at Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas, for “Talking Books: Reducing Gender Inequalities Around the World”
• Honorable Mention: Ellen Wang, 11th grade at Lexington High School in Lexington, Massachusetts, for “Engineering: Bridging Gratitude and Innovation”

Special Topic Recognition

• SDG 1: No Poverty — Arianna Huriash, fifth grade at Eagle Ridge Elementary School in Tamarac, Florida, for “How Can Engineering Help Those in Need without Risking a Sustainable Future?”
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger — Caleb Adams, fifth grade homeschool student in Baltimore, Maryland, for “How Engineers Are Helping to Solve the Problem of World Hunger”
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being — Jennifer Chiou, 11th grade in Parkland, Florida, for “Increasing Access to and Quality of Mental Health Care with Software Engineering”
• SDG 4: Quality Education — Sravya Kotamraju, 11th grade in Frisco, Texas, for “Engineering Education”
• SDG 5: Gender Equality — Charles Alexander Jr., fourth grade at Villa Cresta Elementary School in Parkville, Maryland, for “Gender Equality for All”
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation — Asha Lyons, seventh grade at Lausanne Collegiate School in Germantown, Tennessee, for “Engineering Solutions Towards Sustainable Water Access for All”
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy — Josh Dalal, 11th grade at Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, New York, for “The Future of Nuclear Power”
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth — Nia-Omhle Lunga, fifth grade at Farragut Intermediate School in Knoxville, Tennessee, for “Engineering: The Key to Decent Work and Economic Growth”
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure — Aahana Joshi, third grade at J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School in Plainsboro, New Jersey, for “C3Flex v2.0”
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities — Amy Weston, 11th grade at John Burroughs School in Chesterfield, Missouri, for “Engineering the Future of Our Cities”
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production — Alexa Rose Battaglia, ninth grade at Manlius Pebble Hill School in Manlius, New York, for “Engineering Sustainable Solutions: Mycelium Insulation, an Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Polystyrene”
• SDG 13: Climate Action — Tamiyah Ibeh, eighth grade at Cooper Middle School in Powder Springs, Georgia, for “The Future Is Engineering” 
• SDG 14: Life Below Water — Yeowan (Stella) Kim, 10th grade at Crescenta Valley High School in La Cañada Flintridge, California, for “Engineering: Healing Life Under Water”
• SDG 15: Life on Land — Solon Chan, eighth grade at Folsom Middle School in Folsom, California, for “Environment, Engineering, and Ingenuity”
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions — Kyu-Sun Kim, 10th grade at Seoul International School in Seoul, South Korea, for “One Molka Eliminated for Woman, One Giant Leap for Womankind”

EngineerGirl is designed for girls in elementary through high school and offers information about various engineering fields and careers, answers to questions, interviews of engineers, and other resources on engineering. Surveys of contest participants indicate that 40 percent of girls say they are more likely to consider an engineering career after writing their essay. EngineerGirl is part of the NAE’s ongoing effort to increase the diversity of the engineering workforce.

The mission of the NAE is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering. The NAE is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to provide objective analysis and advice to the nation on matters of science, technology, and health.

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