TBM Naming Contest

She’s big. She’s bold. She has a name!

The HRBT Expansion Project held the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Naming Contest in the fall of 2020. The contest was open to middle school students in Hampton Roads. First-place winner of the contest was Saint Gregory the Great Catholic High School in Virginia Beach with the name, “Mary the TBM” in honor of Mary Jackson of Hampton – mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, noted for her pioneering role of an African American woman in the field of science and engineering, and her crucial contributions to the NASA Space Program. The winning name, “Mary the TBM,” will be printed on the TBM that will bore the new twin tunnels at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

Congratulations to students from Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School – Team Sancti Potentes in Virginia Beach, who won first place in the TBM Naming Contest. The student team submitted a video in the style of a newscast featuring the TBM. The team presented the name “Mary” for Mary Jackson – mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, noted for her pioneering role of an African American woman in the field of science and engineering, and her crucial contributions to the NASA Space Program. Additionally, Mary Jackson was from Hampton, which the students pointed out as one of their reasons for selecting Mary as the name for the HRBT Expansion Project TBM.

Second place was awarded to students from Crittenden Middle School in Newport News, who submitted the name “Mary” as a brochure entry. Third place was awarded to students from Hunter B. Andrews PreK-8 in Hampton, who submitted the name “TEO” for The Emancipation Oak as a brochure entry.