H-ton SEARCH Students Impress in ExploraVision Challenge

Huntington UFSD SEARCH program participants turned in an admirable performance in this year’s Toshiba/National Science Teachers Assn. ExploraVision challenge, which drew entries from K-12 students across the United States and Canada.

The Huntington fifth graders developed an assortment of interesting projects. “This year, I had 12 groups of students win an honorable mention, which places their projects in the top 10 percent of all submitted projects across the U.S. and Canada,” SEARCH teacher Jessica Risalvato said. Each of the honorees will receive a certificate and a prize.

“ExploraVision embodies the spirit of innovation that drives Toshiba’s mission,” said Ken Takagi, chairman & CEO of Toshiba America. “For over three decades, we’ve been the proud sponsor of this program, which encourages students to push the boundaries of science to make the next big breakthrough. At Toshiba, we firmly believe that nurturing STEM talent from an early age is crucial for addressing the challenges of our rapidly changing world. We eagerly anticipate the ingenious concepts and inventions that this year’s participants will bring forth, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering the next generation of STEM leaders through our enduring partnership with NSTA.”

The Woodhull Intermediate School SEARCH student honorees and their projects included:

• Project Title: International Trash Collector

Students: Michael Spagnoletti, Anderson Gudiel Gregorio, Marco Garcia, Saige Catlan

• Project Title: BPBSW (biodegradable plastic water bottles that only degrade in salt water)

Students: Rosie Carrillo, Monica Ng, Christina Yoda, Maddie Kyle

• Project Title: Allergy Busters

Students: Aliana Moalawi, Dylan Jurow

• Project Title: Wildfire Fighting Drone

Students: Juliet Grijalva de la Cruz, Madison Martin

• Project Title: Power Tower

Students: Samantha Graber, Aneka Goutevenier

• Project Title: Clean Water Sanitation

Students: Maeve Frintzilas, Selimah Dease

• Project Title: Project Ice

Students: Nico Chan Camargo, Teddy Fischer, Joe Castillo Guevara, Alex Holley

The Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School SEARCH student honorees and their projects included:

• Project Title: P.S. Project

Students: Autumn Moskowitz, Olivia Witchell, Taylor Merrell

• Project Title: The Cleaner

Students: Daniel Soviero, Jackson Cone

ExploraVision participants were challenged to come up with potential solutions to solve problems that may exist in ten years or more. Using real scientific research, students outlined methods to plan and test their ideas. In the next phase of the competition, the winning regional teams will be asked to build webpages and short videos to communicate and exhibit their ideas to the public.

“The ExploraVision competition is an important way for today’s youth to prepare for tomorrow. In this stage of the program, we get a glimpse into ingenious solutions to the potential problems of the future,” NSTA President Julie A. Luft said. “These regional winners demonstrate a grasp of the science, an ability to work collectively, and an enthusiasm for solving important problems. These winners remind us that our future is in good hands, which is a result of the hard work of our STEM teachers and educators and the support of their families.”

Since its inception in 1992, close to 450,000 students from across the United States and Canada have participated in the ExploraVision program. For 32 consecutive years, the program has helped children expand their imagination and have fun while developing an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early age. To learn more, visit https://www.exploravision.org/.