STEM@OLLA
ITEEA Program of Excellence Award 2021
International Technology and Engineering Teachers Association
EXPLORAVISIONSTEMCompetition
ExploraVision is a STEM competition hosted by Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The goal of this competition is for groups of students to invent a technology that could feasibly be created in 10 years, and would solve a contemporary problem in our world.
Here at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, every student enrolled in an Honors level science course participates in this competition, creating and developing her project over a 5-month time span. Lourdes' first ExploraVision entries were submitted in the 2010-2011 school year, and over the past 10 years, the school has been extremely successful, with over 90 projects awarded honorable mention, 11 teams becoming regional winners, and 1 team earning second place in the nation.
Click on the student produced video above to learn more about the Baby Bangle, an innovative technology concieved and designed by the 2015 ExploraVision Regional Winners.
In 2015, a group of freshmen students at Lourdes became regional winners with their project Baby Bangle. The concept was to create a bracelet that would monitor a baby's body temperature and alert caregivers when the child was in danger of having a febrile seizure.
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2021: Regional Winner
The image to the right is the
Cancer Detection and Removal Pen
(CDR pen) which is the 2021 Regional
Winner for grades 7-9. Click on the video for more information. The CDR pen's main
objective is to identify the presence of cancer
cells left behind during the removal of a
cancerous tumor. The surgeon will use the
pen to remove cell samples from the margins
of the surgical site and deliver the sample
to a mass spectrometer for identification. If
cancer is detected it will deliver gamma
radiation to the site and then deliver
a chemotherapeutic agent as well. The goal is for the patient to be cancer free without the
need for follow up therapies following surgery. Good Luck in the National Finalists Competition Girls!
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2021: Regional Winner
The Creosote and Ash Removal Device (CARD) is the 2021 Regional Winner for grades 10-12 The CARD is used to remove creosote from chimney lining. C.A.R.D. scrubs and vacuums creosote into a separate disposal bag. C.A.R.D. is a compact robot with embedded code designed to fit inside the average chimney. The device uses wire brushes to scrub treated, calcified creosote from the chimney walls. The tires’ tread mimics gecko toe pads, using 3D printing, so the device can climb vertically.
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2019: Regional Winner
The video to the right is about the Self-Filling Water Bottle which was the 2019 Regional Winner for grades 7-9. The Self-Filling Water Bottle’s main objective is to provide a solution to the lack of water in the world today. Through the use of an innovation inspired by MIT’s MOFs (Metal-Organic Frameworks), the water bottle can extract water vapor from the air and condense it through a condenser in the water bottle, producing clean water. The Self-Filling Water Bottle changes the way that water can be accessed making it available to everyone.
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2019: Regional Winner
The video to the right is about the EpiPatch which was the 2019 Regional Winner for grades 10-12. Epipatch is a device which will detect signs of impending shock, such as a drop in BP and a rise in histamine levels, due to a severe allergy. When these signs occur. EpiPatch sends a wireless signal to a reservoir containing epinephrine which is automatically administered in a timely and precise dose.
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2018: Regional Winner
The video to the right is about the MelaNOMORE which was the 2018 Regional Winner for grades 10-12. is a noninvasive scanner and cooling lotion kit that uses infrared technology to detect small changes in skin temperature to diagnose melanoma. Using infrared technology, the scanner will then detect the subtle differences in temperature hoping to identify areas of the skin with possible cancerous cells as cancer cells heat up faster than healthy body cells.
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2017: Regional Winner
The image to the left is the PWS (Photosyntheitc Water Splitter) which was the 2017 Regional Winner for grades 7-9. It's purpose is to utilize a catalyst, such as titanium dioxide, that could efficiently mimic the natural process of photosynthesis, particularly the water-splitting step, in order to obtain hydrogen gas, an environmentally-friendly fuel. The goal of the PWS is to provide renewable, clean energy source for the future. Click Here to view the website.
2017: Regional Winner
Click on the student produced video to the right, to see the ExploraVision 2017, Regional Winners invention for grades 10-12. The Blood Clot Detector (BCD) is a device that detects clots in the blood and notifies the user, as well as his/her doctor, that clots have been detected and treatment is necessary. It strives to alert people when they have blood clots, to prevent clot-related conditions such as strokes and heart attacks. Through early detection, the BCD can help make many of the medical conditions caused by clots less impactful and even less common.
Click on the video to the left to see the ExploraVision 2013, 2nd Place Team's interview with Bill Nye the Science Guy. These students designed a non-surgical treatment for scoliosis. The S2I is a transformational treatment for scoliosis. The hollow fiber vest delivers drug therapy, electrical impulses, magnetic forces and mechanical forces in concert with each other and orchestrated by a control panel. Transdermal drug therapy will relax muscles and enable the body to reshape bone. Mechanical forces and magnetic forces will straighten the spine while transcutaneous electrical impulses will strengthen the muscles supporting the spine. The S2I will be more effective, safe, and comfortable than current bracing or surgical treatments.