CLARION, Pa. — Riverview Intermediate Unit #6 held a regional PA Governor’s STEM Competition on February 27 at the RIU6 headquarters in Clarion. 

(Pictured above: A-C Valley Team.)

This annual competition provides local school districts with a unique opportunity to tackle authentic problems utilizing skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

This year’s competition, “Improving Pennsylvania Through STEM,” featured teams of students from Allegheny-Clarion Valley, DuBois, Jefferson Tech, Neshannock (IU4 team), Oil City, Titusville, and Valley Grove school districts.

The competition included three phases: Project Plan, Project Presentation, and Project in a Box. Each team received a $500 stipend and were challenged to research and identify a real-world problem facing Pennsylvanians. The task was to develop a prototype that provides a practical solution to the identified problem. along with the prototype, teams were required to provide a detailed project plan including a budget. On the day of the competition, the teams demonstrated and explained the practical application of their device to a panel of judges. In addition, teams competed in a Project-in-a-Box activity, where each team was tasked with building a self-propelled vehicle using provided materials. The teams were scored on 21st-century learning skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

Allegheny-Clarion Valley: Water Filtration System

Team members: Darryl Everett III, Dalton Callander, Johnathan Peace, Carson Snyder, Caleb Penny and advisor Joe Graff

Allegheny-Clarion Valley participating in Project in a Box activity

DuBois Area: Ultrasonic Bird Barrier

Team members: Gabby Henrichs, Jeremy Krise, Josh Singler, Hope Spuck, Jacob Feldbauer (absent) and advisor Jennifer Keith

First Place, DuBois Team
L to R: Jennifer Keith (advisor), Hope Spuck, Josh Singler, Jeremy Krise, Gabby Henrichs. Not pictured: Jacob Feldbauer

Jeff Tech: Active Shooter Door Barricade

Team members: Domanic Auge, Cort Holben, Ariel Forrest, Austin Holliday, Laura Beth Glenn, and advisor Tom Tinker

Jeff Tech sharing their device with their peers.

Neshannock: U.P.L.I.F.T.E.D. Pet Stairlift

Team members: Victoria Shultz, Joseph McCollum, Riley Novotny, Joseph Morgan, Quinn Hilton, and advisor Gregg Micsky

Neshannock students exploring with Google Expeditions Virtual Reality.

Oil City Area: Capturing Kinetic Energy in High Traffic Areas

Team members: Sydney Lamberton, Caleb Gardner, Ethan Smith, Benjamin Mizerak and advisor Wendy Masters 

Oil City students coding Spheros.

Titusville: Geothermal Sidewalk

Team members: Gavin Los, Mason Nicol, Chance Dow, and Ethan Zdarko and advisor Ted Banner

Third Place, Titusville Team:
Ted Banner (advisor), Gavin Los, Ethan Zdarko, Mason Nicol, Chance Dow.

Valley Grove: Backpack Lumbar Support Cushion

Team members: Alexis Chambers, Matalyn Diven, Jackson Donovan, Anabell Hawkins, Grace Beach and advisor Bridget Kennedy

Second Place, Valley Grove Team (Rocky Grove): (left to right) Matalyn Diven, Alexis Chambers, Anabell Hawkins, Jackson Donovan, Grace Beach, Bridget Kennedy (advisor).

DuBois Area School District won first place in the competition and will proceed on to the state competition. They set out to solve a problem at the Bellefonte State Fish Hatchery involving fish loss due to predatory birds. The team developed a device using variations of both ultrasonic and audible frequencies that change in order to continuously deter birds from the hatchery without harming them.

Rocky Grove Jr-Sr High School won second place. Their team came up with a solution for uncomfortable school chairs. They developed the “Wooshamacushion,” an adjustable lumbar support cushion which can be carried easily to class, as it zips on and off of a backpack.

Titusville High School earned third place. Their prototype tackled the problem of ice buildup on sidewalks. The geothermal sidewalk involved a pipe filled with a mixture of water and antifreeze, placed below the frost line and running through the cement slab.

The competition judges included: Clarion University professor, Dr. Doug Smith; RIU6 Board President, Julie Hartley; Cortney Ortz of Advanced Disposal, Diana Brush from Clarion University’s Career Development Center, Adam Hennessy from Clarion PennDot, Megan Reiter of Varischetti Holdings, and Matthew Stoey from BC3 Brockway.

Throughout the day, the students participated in various activities including career exploration with Google Expedition virtual reality, Sphero coding challenges, sending and receiving binary messages, designing marshmallow catapults, and a video reflection activity. RIU6 partnered with Patricia Anderson and Staci Hritz from Penn State Extension, Dr. Lisa Kovalchick from California University of PA, and the IU6 Education Programs department to facilitate these activities.

RIU6 would like to thank the following community partners for providing giveaway bag items to each participant: Advanced Disposal Services, Inc., Atlas Pressed Metals, California University of PA, Clarion University of PA, Electralloy/G.O. Carlson, Indiana University of PA, Penn State DuBois, and Triangle Tech. RIU6 would also like to thank Joylabz for providing Makey Makey Gos as door prizes.

Regional competitions were held at intermediate units throughout the state during the month of February.  The state finals take place on May 18, 2018, at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. 

For more information on RIU6 programs and services, please visit the website at www.riu6.org or call 814-226-7103.