SAE Update - July 2022 - 33

SAE FOuNDATION
contributing to climate change. TrafficSmart,
a smart traffic light that can reduce
commute times for potentially millions of
commuters, took home first place.
" I really liked working with my older
brother. Talking to him about my project
and working with each other. I also had a
chance to work with my dad " added John,
whose father and brother served as
mentors for the contest.
Fourth grader Nicole Haragutchi also
used personal connections to help identify
her real-world issue. Having successfully
organized fundraisers for students with
special needs throughout the world, she
soon realized they also often times need
access to clean water and a reliable food
source.
Nicole worked with her father who was
also serving as her mentor for the contest
to develop Scalable and Fertilizer-Free
Energy Self-Sufficient Carbon Neutral
Aquaponics. As part of her presentation,
she developed a fully functional solarpowered
aquaponic system to raise edible
fish and grow vegetable plants. Nicole and
her father hope to scale the solution,
producing 40 tilapia fish and growing
lettuce beds to prove the technology can
be used at scale.
" If we can help people grow their own
food, it can help their community too. We
can help the whole world to do it and that
helps the environment, " said Nicole.
Being in different grades and at different
schools didn't stop the third-place team of
UPDATE
Arthur, Malachi, Ephraim, and Zachary from
working together to explore the use of
drones to provide food and resources to
landlocked countries. Even though they
were virtual, they still worked creatively to
find ways to combine their ideas.
" Being on a team really helped because it
was better to gather all the parts you were
working with. Whenever you were stuck or
didn't know what to do, you always had a
teammate to help you or give ideas to finish
the product, " added Malachi.
Now in its third year, more than 46
registrants in grades 4-8 in the U.S. and
Canada, participated in this year's
competition to come up with a real-world
issue to research, imagine, and design their
own STEM solution, then create a digital
presentation to share their ideas in a fun,
engaging way.
In addition to being recognized for their
efforts, winning registrants also earned
prizes for themselves and their classroom
along with a donation to a charity of their
choice.
Congratulations to our 2022 winners and
all of the students who participated this
year. We can't wait to see what real-world
problems you tackle next.
For any young learners interested in
starting their STEM journey, be sure to take
a look at these free SAE STEM@Home
resources supported by the SAE
Foundation.
Stay tuned for the next SAE STEM
Innovation Contest! n
July 2022
33
https://www.sae.org/learn/education/chowdhury-stem-innovation-contest https://www.sae.org/learn/education/stem-at-home https://www.sae.org/learn/education/stem-at-home
SAE Update - July 2022

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