ENGINEERING CHALLENGE: Seventy-five middle school students from throughout Rhode Island spent two days at the University of Rhode Island last week as part of the SMILE () Engineering Challenge, which required mixed teams of students to build a model space station and design a cooling system for the station. Pictured (l-r) are Tim Lee of Broadrock Middle School, South Kingstown; Maria Ortiq, Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls; URI mentor Eli Boger, a freshman from Simsbury, Conn.;Kayla Zerva, Woonsocket Middle School; and Aleiza DeAndrade, Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls. (URI News Bureau photo by Michael Salerno)

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE: Seventy-five middle school students from throughout Rhode Island spent two days at the University of Rhode Island last week as part of the SMILE () Engineering Challenge, which required mixed teams of students to build a model space station and design a cooling system for the station. Pictured (l-r) are Isabella Lee of Bridgeham Middle School, Providence; Bryan Oliveira, Woonsocket Middle School, Woonsocket; URI mentor Michel Beliard, an engineering graduate student from Westerly; and Mayra Hernandez, Deering Middle School, West Warwick. (URI News Bureau photo by Michael Salerno)

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE: Seventy-five middle school students from throughout Rhode Island spent two days at the University of Rhode Island last week as part of the SMILE () Engineering Challenge, which required mixed teams of students to build a model space station and design a cooling system for the station. Pictured (l-r) are URI mentor Emily Santurri, an engineering student from Cranston; Tayra Hazard, Curtis Corner Middle School, South Kingstown; Yesenia Mendez and Aaliyah Perez, both from Roger Williams Middle School, Providence. (URI News Bureau photo by Michael Salerno)