For the next two weeks, 254 students from 30 countries and
30 U.S. states and territories are participating in the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy
(HLCA), thanks to scholarships awarded by Honeywell.
The event is a leadership and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Two week-long
sessions provide students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills
through technology- and science-oriented workshops and lectures, as well as team
exercises such as simulated astronaut training that bring these studies to life.
The HLCA program is designed to encourage high-school students
to pursue STEM-related careers. During the course of the program, students meet
with scientists, engineers and former astronauts to reinforce core leadership
competencies and provide them with first-hand professional experiences. Students
engage in interactive challenges such as designing, building and testing their own
rockets, bridge structures and DNA extraction experiments.
HLCA is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions,
the company’s corporate citizenship initiative. “The program is designed to
help develop a new generation of leaders, engineers and scientists by honing
their skills in purposeful leadership, effective communication, integrated
planning, team trust and cohesion, and critical thinking,” says Tom Buckmaster,
president, Honeywell Hometown Solutions.