The top two teams will advance to the Regional FlexFactor Competition on April 21 at Sinclair Community College.
The first-place team was Noah Belcher, Tyler Wells, Dorian Green and Elle Wissel for their project Speeding Prevention Electronic Device (S.P.E.D.). This product is an after-market sensor and app that can be installed in vehicles to send speed limit recommendations to the driver based on current road and weather conditions, while also providing real-time information and updates to parents or guardians.
The second-place team was Billy Zanish, Nikoli Beers, Myranda Warziak and Haylinn Salyers for their project Wildlife Detection System. This product will detect vehicular collisions with wildlife with a sensor that can be installed on a vehicle and will alert both the driver and the animal of the potential collision while on the road.
During the 2021-22 school year, Clark-Shawnee sent four student teams to present at the regional competition, where two placed in the top three.
The project and competition requires students to identify a problem to solve, research it and then find a solution. They must then build a business model and marketing plan to support that product and then pitch it to a panel of judges.
The judges included Jacob Babb, Structural Engineer; Trish Burke-Williams, Sinclair Community College; Dr. Chris Crouse, Air Force Research Laboratory; Dennis Delong, Owens-Corning; Amy Donahoe, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development; Becky Humphries, ODOT, Civil Engineer; Nick Morris, FlexFactor; Rob Rue, Littleton & Rue, Springfield Assistant Mayor; Dr. Laura Thompson, Family Physician; Kaitlyn Tyler, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Talent Coordinator; and Brian Yontz, Wittenberg University, Education Professor.
The FlexFactor program, by NextFlex, is a collaborative STEM and entrepreneurship program that encourages students to develop critical thinking, creative reasoning and problem-solving skills, and is a curriculum designed for high school teachers to integrate into their classrooms.
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