Two female high students representing Plainview-Old Bethpage-JFK High School of Plainview, NY – Audrey Shine of Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School, Plainview, New York and Danielle Kelly of Friends Academy, Locust Valley, New York – landed first place among top 10 finalists around the U.S. and the world after competing in the international Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition on July 12, 2018, the only outcome-based STEM competition of its kind in the world. Teams of high school students from five nations, including four from the United States, three from Singapore and one each from Australia, Ireland and Peru, participated in the 7th annual event held at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY USA. The competition’s sponsor, Spellman High Voltage Electronics is the world’s leading provider of high performance, custom and standard DC high voltage power converters.
(SHVE CT Shine and Kelly: Pictured from left to right is Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, Director of The Center for Science Teaching & Learning with 2018 Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition first place winners Danielle Kelly of Woodbury from Friends Academy and Audrey Shine of Plainview from Plainview Old Bethpage-JFK High School, and Dr. Loren Skeist, President of Spellman High Voltage Electronics.)
As first place winners, Ms. Kelly of Friends Academy, Locust Valley, New York and Ms. Shine of Plainview, NY, who won first place in the competition for the second consecutive year, were awarded a $10,000 prize for their project that focused on enhancing the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells to help solve to climate change, which was the theme of this year’s competition. The title of their award-winning project was: Application of Graphene Oxide/Amine Functionalized Graphene Oxide onto Polymer Electrolyte Membranes (PEM) and Electrodes to Optimize Hydrogen Fuel Cell Performance that involved the students improving the performance of hydrogen fuel cells through incorporating graphene oxide into layers of the fuel cell. Beyond their monetary prize, these winners will also have the opportunity to attend and present at The World Congress on Climate Change in Rome, Italy in September. To support the students’ trip to Rome, please visit: https://www.cstl.org/clean-tech-donation/. They will also continue their relationship with a professional mentor, who will advise them regarding their work and education.
The second place finisher was Benjamin Liao of Palo Alto, California representing the Henry M. Gunn High School Team of Palo Alto, California, who received $7,500 for his project relating to changing colored Thermochromics Roof Coatings used to capture or reflect the energy of the sun. Elise Ireland, from the Republic of Ireland, was given the third place award and $5,000 for her project that used rain water in downspouts to produce electricity.
The third place finisher was Elise Ireland of the Republic of Ireland representing the Regina Mundi College Team of Ireland who received $5,000 for her project that used rain water in downspouts to produce electricity.
(SHVE CT Top 3 Winners: Pictured from left to right is Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, Director of The Center for Science Teaching & Learning with 2018 Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition third place winner Elise Ireland of the Republic of Ireland representing the Regina Mundi College Team of Ireland, first place winners Danielle Kelly of Woodbury from Friends Academy and Audrey Shine of Plainview from Plainview Old Bethpage-JFK High School; second place winner Benjamin Liao of Palo Alto, California representing the Henry M. Gunn High School Team of Palo Alto, California, and Dr. Loren Skeist, President of Spellman High Voltage Electronics.)
The Spellman HV Electronics Clean Tech Competition is the only STEM competition with a focus on using clean technology to solve environmental challenges. The 10 international finalist teams that traveled to Long Island presented their STEM-based solutions for climate change after beating out a record number of almost 550 teams from 39 countries.
According to Dr. Loren Skeist, President of Spellman HV Electronics, the sponsor of the competition, “Solving the challenges of our environment will require creative and innovative solutions from everywhere around the world. The innovative thinking and dedication of these young people is needed now more than ever. The fact that almost 550 teams from all over the globe submitted project ideas to this competition makes me optimistic about the future, not only of science, but of our planet.”
“Clean tech is more than just a competition – it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with young scientists around the globe. I am incredibly honored and grateful to receive the top award,” said winner Audrey Shine.
“Clean Tech provided us with an amazing opportunity to interact with students from around the globe. Winning was incredible, and I am so grateful for the honor, but the true value of the experience was collaborating internationally to solve the pressing and universal issue of climate change,” said winner Danielle Kelly.
“Stony Brook University was proud to host the Clean Tech Finals. The deep level of research and creativity presented by the high school finalists was impressive and these students are poised to help the world solve major environmental issues,” said Joan Dickinson, MA, Director Community Relations of Stony Brook University.
“All of the students who participated in the finals demonstrated their creativity and understanding of STEM principals. These young people are a shining example of the importance and the potential of STEM. With Spellman HV Electronics, we continue to show government leaders, educators, parents and the business community the importance of STEM and the need to embrace new STEM education initiatives,” said Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, Director of The Center for Science Teaching & Learning.
The 2018 Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition is hosted and managed by Rockville Centre, New York-based Center for Science Teaching & Learning (CSTL). CSTL is a not-for-profit organization with a mission of encouraging science learning and literacy.
For more information about, CSTL or Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition, please visit www.cleantechcompetition.org or call (516) 764-0045.
(SHVE CT All Teams: Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, Director of The Center for Science Teaching & Learning (far left) joins Dr. Loren Skeist, President of Spellman High Voltage Electronics (second right) and Joan Dickenson Director of Community Relations for Stony Brook University (far right) with 2018 Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition Finalists. Seated from left to right are third place winner Elise Ireland of the Republic of Ireland representing the Regina Mundi College Team of Ireland; first place winners Danielle Kelly of Woodbury from Friends Academy and Audrey Shine of Plainview from Plainview Old Bethpage-JFK High School; and second place winner Benjamin Liao of Palo Alto, California representing the Henry M. Gunn High School Team of Palo Alto, California.)
About Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp:
Spellman High Voltage Electronics is the world’s leading provider of high performance, custom and standard DC high voltage power converters and Monoblock® X-Ray sources for medical, industrial, semiconductor, security, analytical, laboratory and under-sea cable power-feed applications. As a global supplier with strategically located design and manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, Spellman is committed to providing best-in-class support to OEM customers and end-users throughout the world. For more information, contact: Suzanne Muller at smuller@spellmanhv.com.
About the Center for Science Teaching and Learning:
The Center for Science Teaching & Learning (CSTL) is a not-for-profit organization with a mission of encouraging science learning and literacy. CSTL develops programs for people of all ages and utilizes inquiry-based learning as its foundation for program development. This year marks the first for which CSTL is serving as the administrator of the Clean Tech Competition. For more information, visit www.cleantechcompetition.org.For more information about CSTL visit www.ctsl.org.
Photo credit for all photos is Courtesy of Center for Science, Teaching & Learning (CSTL))
Article provided by: Allison Gayne
Corbett Public Relations, Inc. – Long Island’s Public Relations Firm