Teens Invent One-of-a-Kind Products, Address Tech Challenges

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating they had the most unique approaches to solving real-world challenges in aerospace, clean energy and cyber security, winners of the Conrad Foundation's 2011 Innovation Summit were announced Sunday at NASA-Ames Research Center in the heart of the Silicon Valley.

The annual innovation program encourages high-school students from across America to solve the challenges of the 21st century by creating breakthrough technologies using science, technology, engineering and math knowledge and skills.

The grand prize winners earning the coveted title of 2011 Pete Conrad Scholars sponsored by Lockheed Martin Corporation were:

• Ouroboros, Upper Clair High School, Pittsburg, PA (aerospace exploration) for their Perpetual Harvest Space Nutrition System that takes organic waste created during long-duration space flight and creates compost used to grow fresh foods also serving as an air filter for human habitation.
• West Philly EVX Team, West Philadelphia High School Auto Academy, West Philadelphia, PA (clean energy) their Electric Very Light Car (EVLC) is being prepared for commercial market and will set the standard for electric vehicle efficiency.
• Unisecurity, North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics, Durham, NC (cyber security) for their Med PAL smartphone application that works with a Bluetooth enabled heart rate monitor worn by the user. MedPAL will automatically contact a call center and/or personal emergency contacts based on GPS coordinates should irregularities occur.

Winning teams receive a $5,000 Next Step Grant to continue their product development.  In addition to the funding and product support, every team member receives a one-year student membership in American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a one-year affiliate membership to Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. The team coach receives a $500 stipend via the AIAA Coaches Award.

"Winning the Conrad Scholar Award in the clean energy category validates all the hard work my students have done this school year," said Paul Holt, coach for the West Philly EVX Team. "The award allows the team to finish the prototype of the EVLC by the end of the school year and move to the next phase of development."

The People's Choice Award was bestowed on the team with the most votes cast during the online, public voting period. This year's winner, Scientifica White Hats, from Northern High School in Durham, NC, receives the $500 prize for their Phone Guard all-in-one master security system for smartphones.

The 27 finalist teams created a technical report, a business plan and a graphical representation for their product. Winning teams were selected by a panel of judges made up of top-level academia and industry representatives, with input from public voting.

After the event, teams have the opportunity to raise additional funds for the commercial development of their projects. Information about donating directly to the development of a team's project, or donating to a team's sponsoring school, can be found on the Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards official website: www.conradawards.org.

Additional category winners include:

• People's Choice Awards
  • Aerospace, Ouroboros, Upper St. Clair High School, Pittsburg, PA
  • Clean Energy, CIRPSICSR, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA
  • Cyber Security, Scientifica White Hats, Northern High School, Durham, NC
• NSBRI Aerospace Award, Morpheus, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC
• Constellation Energy Award, CIRPSICSR, Alexandria, VA
• Facebook Challenge, R Squared, Beverly Hills High School, Los Angeles, CA

Photos of the event are available at: http://photoman.com/images/2011-0501_Awardees.

SOURCE The Conrad Foundation