WASHINGTON, D.C., FEBRUARY 26 Students from Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School have won the fourth annual JETS/Ability One National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC), a competition which educates young people about careers in engineering, raises social awareness, and inspires a spirit of engagement and a willingness to help others. Five teams of high school students from across the country competed in the NEDC Finals today at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia.

The Grand Rapids Catholic Central Team, consisting of students Nick Rudell, Seth Holton, Nick Lannes, Anthony Tross, Madalyn Esch, Kevin Greene, Joe Gorman, Jen Zarzecki, Dan Klimas and Ann Schumar, along with their teacher/coach Jeanine Gasper, created "The Handy Typer," a device designed specifically for a teacher at their school who lost his hand in an accident. This device works as a prosthetic with two protruding “fingers” that can type on a standard keyboard. The team won $3,000 for their school.

Two second place winners also won cash prizes of $1500 each for their schools: Bishop Kelly High School, from Boise, ID won the Best Engineering Design with the Syringe Holding and Guidance System (SHAGS), a device that aids a nurse with a tremor and Commack High School, from Commack, NY, won the Outstanding Assistive technology design with the New Office Workspace (NOW). The other two outstanding finalists were from St. Ursula Academy, in Toledo, OH, with the The Lift-A-Tray; and from Wethersfield High School, Wethersfield, CT, with The Easy Access Transport System (EATS).

The NEDC is a real-world high school design competition in which teams of students from across the nation design and build an assistive technology device for use by a person with a disability in his or her workplace. Beginning in August 2008, teams first identified a problem to solve and then worked together to design, test and present their device. The top five finalists will be selected this week by a panel of judges to compete in the NEDC Finals competition, February 26, 2009. Finalists will receive a free trip to Washington, DC to present their device in person. The best overall design from a national finalist team wins $3,000 for their school's sponsoring department. Two additional finalists are awarded $1,500 for the school's sponsoring department.

For more information about NEDC, visit www.jets.org/nedc or contact Stephanie Hurd at shurd@jets.org or (571) 212-4973.

NEDC is a JETS program made possible through a partnership with NISH and the AbilityOne program. For more information, email info@jets.org or visit the JETS Web site at www.jets.org.

JETS
JETS is the leading non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to America's youth. From exciting student competitions to assessment tools and career exploration materials, JETS helps students plan for rewarding futures by showing them how engineering can help them pursue their dreams. JETS programs touch more than 40,000 students and 10,000 educators from 6,000 high schools across the country every year.

AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne Program provides employment opportunities for nearly 48,000 people through NISH—Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities, and the National Industries of the Blind. The AbilityOne Program is the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States. More than 600 participating nonprofit organizations employ these individuals and provide quality goods and services to the federal government at a fair market price. To learn more, visit www.abilityone.org