A team of middle school students from Cradlerock School, in Columbia, claimed second place in a national engineering competition in late June.

The students' trebuchet -- a form of catapult -- won second place for design efficiency and accuracy at the 2009 MESA USA National Engineering Contest, held in Denver June 25-28.

The Cradlerock team consisted of students Alexis Ligon, Caroline Pyon, Xinxin Guo and Ben Kale. The students, who participate in the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program (MESA) at Cradlerock School, represented the Howard County school system and the state in the national competition, which included middle and high school students from eight other states.

The purpose of the MESA contests is to generate interest in careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Professional engineers evaluate the student projects on the basis of performance in math, oral and written communications, and expertise and proficiency in architectural and engineering applications, according to a news release from the county school system.

-- Jennifer Broadwater

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