On Feb. 27, 2026, the Chris Savinda Memorial Chain Reaction Contraption Contest (CRCC) brought 60 high school students from the Southwestern Pennsylvania region to Westinghouse Global Headquarters in Cranberry Township, Pa.
Sponsored by Westinghouse Electric Company, ALCOSAN, Jones Day, #1 Radon Tester LLC and U.S. Steel, CRCC has been advancing STEM education for more than 25 years. Working with a sponsor teacher and engineer mentor, teams design and build a machine that performs multiple steps to complete a task, and then present their design and machine to a panel of judges.
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Who was Chris Savinda? It is with tremendous respect that the CRCC honors Chris Savinda – a longtime Westinghouse colleague who led this contest for more than two decades before losing his battle with cancer in 2023. His legacy lives on through today’s contest – inspiring students to take on seemingly impossible tasks, use their voice to express their passion, support others in their goals and, most importantly, be kind to others. |
While giving back to the community is part of Westinghouse’s DNA, CRCC is also a vital workforce development opportunity. And now, we’re seeing the results: Hailey Burgy, a Westinghouse senior engineer, participated in CRCC when she was a high school student.
“I was always interested in STEM-related fields, but the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest was my first STEM-related project in school,” said Hailey. “It taught me so much about planning and organizing as well as building my engineering knowledge. Looking back now, a lot of the activities I did with my team to prepare for that contest are like those that I do in my day-to-day responsibilities at Westinghouse.”
The 2026 CRCC theme, “Plant a Seed,” brought out creative thinking among teams, who were awarded both special and top awards.
Savinda’s Choice, which celebrates creativity in design and perseverance through adversity, in memory of Westinghouse employee Chris Savinda: North Allegheny Senior High School
Most Green: Penn Trafford High School
Most Efficient Reset: Springdale High School
Most Innovative: Brentwood High School, Team 1
Rookie of the Year: Baldwin High School
Most Robust: Hempfield Area High School, Team 1
Chris Savinda Memorial Scholarship: Hannah Parnell, Brentwood High School
Third Place: North Allegheny Senior High School
Second Place: Brentwood High School, Team 2
First Place: Hempfield Area High School, Team 1
Congratulations to all of our winners and participants! Learn more about how to get involved as a participating school or volunteer on our website.