Representing Rome Free Academy, senior Jolainna Sciorilli and junior Timothy Hill earned 4th place at the 16th Annual Challenge Competition, held from April 21-25, 2025. Guided by Engineering/Technology Teacher Albert Bangs, they competed against other teams in a challenging STEM initiative hosted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate, in partnership with the Griffiss Institute (GI).
The competition took place at the Griffiss Institute's Innovare Advancement Center, where student teams worked on real-world problems based on AFRL research. This year’s challenge, Operation Sky Watchman: Defend the Skies of AI, required students to use artificial intelligence and object detection to identify potential enemy aircraft in a simulated defense mission, completing technical tasks throughout the week.
The intent of the competition is to provide a more realistic view into the types of high-tech problems our Nation is facing and how researchers go about dissecting and solving these complex challenges. Participating in this competition provides students a new perspective in the field of engineering, science, and/or math, depending on the problem's origin.
AFRL engineers and scientists provided mentorship, and the event concluded with an awards ceremony on April 25, featuring a keynote by Dr. Bryant T. Wysocki, Technical Advisor for C4I and Cyber Systems for the Air Force.
Final Results:
1st Place – Waterville ($2,500 per student)
2nd Place – Holland Patent ($2,000 per student)
3rd Place – Notre Dame ($1,500 per student)
4th Place – Rome Free Academy ($1,000 per student)
“I’m really proud of Tim and Jo,” said Bangs. “They not only used artificial intelligence but also programmed it themselves. It was a challenging problem, and they worked hard, learned a lot, and had fun. I’m very proud of them.”
Congratulations to all students for their innovation and teamwork!
