From staff reports
CLARION – Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 hosted a regional Governor’s PA STEM competition Feb. 27, at the RIU6 headquarters in Clarion. This annual competition provides local school districts with a unique opportunity to tackle authentic problems utilizing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
This year’s competition, “Making our lives better through STEM,” featured teams of students from Allegheny-Clarion Valley, DuBois, Oil City, Redbank Valley and Titusville School Districts.
Each team received a $500 stipend and was challenged to research, present and design a device capable of making the quality of life better for citizens of Pennsylvania.
Team members from Allegheny-Clarion Valley included Sam Anderson, Levi Fair, Briar Kentzel, Jacob Kriebel, Lucas Whitcomb and advisor Joe Graff. DuBois included Jacob Feldbauer, Kameron Haines, Gabby Henrichs, Jeremy Krise, Hope Spuck along with advisor Jennifer Keith.
Oil City students included Levi Lantz, Justin Miller, Benjamin Mizerak, Logan Stahl, Hunter Whitman, and advisor Wendy Masters. Redbank Valley included Eli Carlson, Zoe Henry, Paiton Rizzo, MacKenzie Young, Kasey Watkins and advisors Jill Boyles and Deb Dinger. Titusville included Reilly McDowell, Troy Williams, and Ethan Zdarko along with advisor Ted Banner.
The students interacted with their local community to learn about STEM related careers and the skills needed to be successful in those careers. Supported by their findings, students made a presentation at the competition and provided a hands-on demonstration of the practical applications of their device.
In addition, teams completed a “Project in a Box” activity, where each team was tasked with building a boat that would hold as much mass (pennies) as possible without sinking, using only aluminum foil, duct tape, and paper cups.
DuBois Area School District won first place in the competition. They developed “The Daily Dose” equipped with a live stream camera and a customizable alarm, where one will never have to worry about a loved one’s missing medication again.
Their prototype also incorporated a fingerprint biometric that minimizes access to the doses in order to make the process entirely secure.
Oil City School District won second place. Their team developed an improved shoe drying mechanism consisting of a “stomp mat,” self-drying carpet, and a drying ventilation system. This device will save time and money for business owners, increase safety, and improve scholastic environments to rid the squeaky shoe noise distraction.
Third place went to Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School with their prototype that would tackle the problem of icy windshields by allowing people to quickly clean off their car using an insulated neoprene cover to prevent ice from forming.
Regional competitions were held at intermediate units throughout the state during the month of February. The state finals will take place on May 19, at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
The competition judges included Clarion University professor, Dr. Doug Smith; RIU6 board president, Julie Hartley; Bob Cardamone from Community Action, Ed Yahner of Advanced Disposal, Peter Varischetti of Varischetti Holdings, Sheila Hockman of Brookville Equipment, and Laura Reasoner Jones founder of Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS) Club.
RIU6 partnered with Ben Davis from WIN Learning who provided a session and access for each student to the college and career readiness WIN Atlas app. Dr. Steven Feldbauer from Penn State Dubois demonstrated a liquid nitrogen session, and RIU6 Education Programs Team facilitated a Breakout EDU game with participants.
For more information on RIU6 programs and services, visit the website at www.riu6.org or call (814) 226-7103.