The 2003 Massachusetts Destination ImagiNation® State Finals were held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on April 5th. There were 152 teams (each team consisting of seven members) from all over the state presenting their solutions to five different challenges, and vying for the right to represent Massachusetts in the DI Global Finals to be held in Knoxville, Tennessee in May. All these teams had finished first in their regional tournaments, which were held earlier in the month of March.

There were a number of Indian students who participated in various teams at each of the three levels: elementary, middle and secondary. The “ConnecDId” team from John Glenn Middle School, Bedford, with Monica Joshi as a participant, and Chad Joshi as the Team Manager, took the top spot in their category. Their technical challenge was to build a balsa wood structure using wood joinery (without glue) that would hold significant weight. Their spindly wood tower held 435 lbs at the tournament.

Every team also has to deliver a creative presentation revolving around the connection theme. Their skit told the tale of a rescue of mice entrapped by evil scientists through the use of a magical hunk of cheese. The creativity of their portrayal of trapped mice in a glass chamber earned them the coveted “DaVinci” Creativity Medal. These awards are reserved for the highest caliber of creativity; only three were awarded for the entire tournament. Their citation read:

“The team did a great job with a mime performance. They used creativity in the design of their set using a black screen to coordinate sounds with actions. One team member was held back with a bungee cord to create the illusion of leaning on a piece of glass. They also used a can with wet Saran wrap to create the sound of nails scratching the glass.”

How did she get into it and what was this experience like for Monica? “It was great. Since I like science, my Dad encouraged me to take this up. It really helped me to learn to work as a team. It also taught me a lot about building structures. I am excited to go to Tennessee for the finals.” Monica is a sixth grader. She is a soccer player, a ballet dancer and plays flute in the school band.

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