Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge Winner Selected to Attend White House Science Fair
CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Destination Imagination (DI) and the Conrad Foundation are proud to announce that Margaret Pan and Christopher Yuan have been selected to attend this year's White House Science Fair. The duo was selected as one of the winning projects of the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge, an annual multi-phase business and technical plan competition, which inspires and activates the future STEM workforce.
Margaret and Christopher are both currently seniors attending the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics where they engage in independent chemistry research. Their project, AquaCapsule, aims to provide a platform for efficient waste water reclamation aboard space crafts to enable further explorations into the final frontier. The product harnesses energy from excess heat derived from on-board electronics and machinery, as well as solar energy, to create an efficient means of recycling water and regulating temperature within space vessels. Margaret Pan will represent the team at the White House today.
"We are thrilled that Margaret and Christopher's project has been recognized for such a prestigious honor," said Nancy Conrad, Founder of the Conrad Foundation. "The AquaCapsule embodies the mission and vision of Destination Imagination and the Conrad Foundation, which is to provide leadership in 21st century learning and STEM education."
The Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge was founded by Nancy Conrad to honor the legacy of her husband astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad and his four decades of success as an innovator and entrepreneur. These Challenges give high school students the opportunity to "Get their Genius On" through its STEM-based, entrepreneurial competition.
The new global economy has created a demand for a workforce that is innovative and STEM-proficient. Earlier this year, The Conrad Foundation announced a partnership with Destination Imagination to take advantage of synergies and common vision to provide leadership in 21st century learning and STEM education for both their participants, teachers, volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Together, DI and the Conrad Foundation are focused on developing these 21st century skills to create a STEM qualified workforce.
President Obama hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair in late 2010, fulfilling a commitment he made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire students to excel in math and science. As the President noted then, "If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too."
About the Conrad Foundation
The Conrad Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to 21st century, immersive learning, where students use their imagination and innovation to enrich their classroom studies by adding context to content. The Foundation is the only organization of its kind whose programs combine education, innovation and entrepreneurship to inspire solutions for achieving global sustainability. For more information, visit www.conradawards.org.
About Destination Imagination
Destination Imagination, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) cause-driven, volunteer-led non-profit organization that helps children discover their creative processes. The most popular education offering is the Challenge Program, where student teams solve open-ended Challenges and present their solutions at tournaments. Founded in 1982, Destination Imagination has impacted more than 1.5 million students. To learn more, please call 1.888.321.1503 or visit www.DestinationImagination.org.
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SOURCE Destination Imagination; Conrad Foundation
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