The Daviess County High School team of Owen Krahwinkel, Price Cowan, Paul McClellan and Adam Julian competed at the regional Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) competition hosted by Western Kentucky University on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
According to the official STLP website, “STLP uses project-based learning principles to empower student learning and achievement through the utilization and creation of technology to solve school and community needs. STLP provides a means for students to design, make, connect and learn.”
The DCHS team scored 91 out of 100 possible points, and will now advance to the state finals in Lexington in April.
The team’s product, “VapeBusters,” is designed to respond to the issue of underage usage of e-cigarettes in high schools. The product involves using humidity detection sensors in places where those devices are commonly used, such as bathrooms and locker rooms. The sensors would alert school officials to a spike in humidity caused by e-cigarettes in those locations through a desktop application or mobile app.
“Coach Hall came to us with the concept and then we came up with a way to integrate it,” said DCHS senior and team member. “We’ll add security cameras in the school to create an ecosystem within it.”
While still in the design phase, team facilitator and faculty advisor Barney Hall said, “The idea of this product is unique because once it is fully developed, it will help [combat] the rising problem of e-cig and vaping among teens, especially in the school environment.”
Julian said, while the team members do not have designated roles, he and Owen tend to be more technologically-minded, while Paul and Price are more logistically-minded. The team plans to utilize those strengths for the state finals at Rupp Arena in April.
“Our plan is we are trying to get closer to having a working prototype,” Julian said. “We’re not required to but we want to, but if you’re able to show this is more than a concept — it’s physical — you can see it working, that will kind of seal the deal for people that are judging hundreds of other projects.”
The team will also compete in the Kentucky Lt. Governor’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (LGEC) in Madisonville in March 2019 where Julian said they will prepare a 10-minute video prepared along with a 10-minute presentation for the judges.
