Northeast High School was selected from thousands of nationwide entries for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. The annual competition is designed to bolster interest and proficiency in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math.) The competition is nationwide, and students are invited to apply by showcasing how STEM principles can be used in their communities.
Helping People to Deal with Diabetes Diagnosis
With the help of their teachers Ms. L. Clara Mabour and Mr. Andrew Vandeden, the following students are working on developing both an app as well as an informative comic book, designed to ease the minds of newly diagnosed youth facing Type I diabetes diagnoses in the community: Seth Solomon, Ashley Espinosa, Noah Horowitz, Etnie Rosenbaum, Sarah Schonis, Alfonzo Yates, Jordon Robinson and Abijah Nesbitt, who are 10th and 11th graders at NEHS who have all personally been impacted in some way by Type I diabetes. Whether it is a friend, family member or teacher, they felt that their community needs education and information that can be delivered in easy to understand format using age-appropriate apps and games.
The team initially wanted to create software that would allow insulin pumps and glucose monitors to work together, but had to quickly rethink their strategy when they learned that a patent is already in the works. Showing their ability to think quickly, they forged ahead with their new strategy which paid off. The second round of the competition will be based on a three-minute video in which showcases the advancement of their work on the project in the of advancing their project to the next level.
Looking Ahead for the Big Prize
From there, 20 of the national finalists will be selected to travel to the final event, presenting their projects to a panel of judges. For achieving at the national finalist level, those schools will be awarded $50,000 towards technology and classroom materials. From there, five national grand prize winners will travel to Washington D.C. to present their ideas to congress. Grand prize winners will receive $100,000 in classroom materials and technology for their schools.
Mosquito Breeding Disruptor as a Previous Achievement
Northeast High School was awarded the National grand prize in 2012, when they developed a rip tide sensing buoy following the tragic passing of a classmate. In 2017 Northeast High School was awarded a Lemelson MIT-InvenTeam grant to develop a mosquito breeding disruptor, to thwart diseases such as the Zika virus. That device currently has a patent pending, proving that NEHS students and teachers have a proven track record in STEM academics. They are asking the community to reach out to diabetes experts to help the team better understand the cellular processes and new research around diabetes.
Our Vote Will Help!
On March 5th, the students will find out if they advance to the next round. If they make it, they will launch a social media campaign and will need our votes which can be cast on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow website. You can also keep up with what’s going on by following @northeasthighmagnet and show you support by searching the following hashtags: #solvefortomorrow #northeastinvent #samsungsolve #samsungsolvefortomorrow #northeasthighschool #northeasthighsolve
2 Responses
Way to go Team! Wonderful teacher Lise Clara Mabour has inspired a great group of students to find solutions to real world problems! So proud!