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Math and science mesh as students walk on water

( Fernando Acosta Jr. ) Holtville Middle School eighth-grader April Thornburg (left) leads in the second round of the MESA Walking on Water competition Wednesday at the Central Union High School swimming pool in El Centro.

By SILVIO J. PANTA Imperial Valley Press Staff Writer12:46 a.m. PDT, May 26, 2011

Powered by sheer physical energy and a little bit of engineering Kevin Humaran, of Holtville Middle School, labored hard Wednesday to make it across 80 feet of water using shoes or sandals attached to what looked like makeshift water skis made of foam and covered in duct tape.

Kevin, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, didn’t quite make it but said he learned how the mechanics of motion go a long way into attempting to do something as deceptively simple as trying to “walk” across the surface of the water without falling.

“I just lost my balance,” said Kevin. “It was pretty difficult.”

About 200 middle school students competed at the Central Union High School swimming pool during the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program’s “Walking on Water” competition.

Twenty-seven schools throughout the Imperial Valley entered the competition that required, in addition to two months of preparation, a keen focus on how math and science mesh in engineering, said Jeanette Espino, MESA program director.

Read the entire story at the Imperial Valley Press.

Published in MESA Activities News Walk on Water Competition