Xavier students receive award in D.C.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Three Xavier Students received a National Award for Aviation and Aerospace Innovation in Washington D.C.

Miraj Rahematpura of Middletown, Christopher Muckle of Madison, Mario Chris of Storrs, and the Engineering Club Moderator and teacher Michael Humphreys traveled to Washington D.C. to be honored as the first recipients of the RAISE Award (Recognizing Aviation and Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering) by Ray LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Rahematpura is studying at Stanford University in California, Muckle is at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Chris is a senior at Xavier.

Humphreys graduated from Xavier in 2004.

According to a press release, Secretary LaHood said, "I congratulate these students for their winning idea. Under the mentorship of Michael Humphreys, Chris, Miraj, and Mario spent many days during their summer vacation meticulously preparing their project using the resources of a nearby university. They designed a light weight winglet with variable angles, built a model of it, measured the reduction in drag on the wing, and then calculated the resulting fuel savings. Their achievement can serve as a great example to leaders across the country, in business, in government, and in education, of how we can use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education to think big and solve big problems."

"It was a pleasure to see the time and energy that these young men put into this project over these many months," Headmaster Brother Brian Davis, CFX said. "We congratulate them for their accomplishment and on receiving recognition for all of their efforts."

"We are thrilled that this hard-working and creative group of Connecticut students has been recognized with the nation's first RAISE Award," Claire Leonardi, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Connecticut Innovations, said. "These young innovators are the types of students that will help strengthen Connecticut's technology talent pipeline."

These students were also among the seven Xavier students that made up the 2012 Connecticut Real World Design Challenge aviation team. That team won the Connecticut Challenge for three consecutive years and was the National Champion in the 2011 competition.