WALLINGFORD — Members of the Connecticut STEM Academy were recently recognized for winning awards at state and world competitions.

STEM Academy students, parents and volunteers showcased the trophies at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting. The group won the Design Award, the Middle School Excellence Award, and the Teamwork third place award at a state competition.

“We have an assemblage of very talented people, great minds and they’ve shown their ability in a number of contests they’ve entered and won concerning STEM and robotics,” said Mayor William Dickinson Jr.

The academy, located in Wallingford, provides enrichment programs for students interested in “deepening their knowledge of STEM concepts,” according to its website. 

Academy Director Chris Stone said it was the third year in a row that the CT STEM Academy won the Design Award.

The academy qualified two teams to participate in the world competition earlier this year in Louisville, Kentucky. The competition gathered the top 400 middle school teams from 48 countries to compete in designing and maneuvering robots.

Robotics Program Director Liana Michaud presented students with certificates for participation in the program. She said three to five students worked on each team to build one robot.

Michaud said students in elementary school met every Saturday during the robotics season.

“We’ve had several of them win two awards that relate to the design of the robot as well as how they use them, how they compete in the competition,” Michaud said.

Michaud said one of the teams that attended the world championship consisted of all girls. The team, which won the Design Award, is rare in STEM.

“We have a few females but for them to step out and come out on top,” Michaud said. “They worked for three years to get that and we’re really impressed with both groups ability to reach that level.”

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