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NPHS Team Takes 2nd Place at Thomas Edison Design Challenge

NPHS+Team+Takes+2nd+Place+at+Thomas+Edison+Design+Challenge

A team of four New Providence High School students won 2nd place at NJIT in the state-wide Thomas Edison Invention Challenge on Saturday, May 11, 2013.  The objective of the Thomas Edison Design Challenge is to inspire students to be innovators and be able to apply their cross-curricular skills, especially in science and technology.  It is sponsored by the Thomas Edison Foundation, with New Jersey industries, several universities, and the New Jersey Technology Engineering Educators Association.  Student teams from over 40 public, private, magnet, and technology high schools from all over the state of New Jersey. schools are given the challenge to design and engineer a practical solution to a problem (an invention that can be marketed) that uses alternate energy (no batteries or electricity).  Each team received video cameras to document their process. Qualifying schools received $300 worth of supplies (solar panels, hydrogen cells, and wind turbines) and were able to go to NJIT for the final round of presentations.

 The competition began in November 13, 2012, and involved four stages of procedures, each submitted electronically:  an essay in October on Thomas Edison and how inventions impact our lives, electronic notebooks with sketches and calculations in January, a PowerPoint with photos of their process in April,, and finally the oral presentation and interview by three judges at NJIT. 

 The team from NPHS consisted of Lotta Blumberg, Emily Pooley, Ilse Sweldens and Hilal Kesim.  They worked together to design and create a prototype for an emergency shelter for disaster relief. The “Survival Pyramid” is a tent that has a heater and uses solar panels and wind turbines to generate electricity for the homeless victims of disaster. The tent has energy-efficient LED lights, a heater, insulation, and uses renewable materials. The team calculated the energy needed to sustain heat and how many solar panels and wind turbines could produce the energy needed for the volume of space in which 4 people could sleep.  The group also explained how it would be constructed and marketed to the public or agencies involved in disaster relief.

 The team used their iPads to share their collaborations on the Google Drive and create a slide show on Keynote, using the photos taken with their iPads, in the third stage of the competition.  They worked on the project after school, as a “Challenge Team” club activity, with Mrs. Denise Moser as their advisor.  The hard work of these Pioneers clearly paid off as they were awarded $250 for their school and each received a 2nd place plaque.  Way to go Lotta, Emily, Ilse, Hilal, and Mrs. Moser!!!

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NPHS Team Takes 2nd Place at Thomas Edison Design Challenge