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Trinity, Wash High place in competition

3 min read
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Members of the Trinity High School team are shown with their first-place plaques from the STEM competition. From left are Trey Banco, Helena Wolenski, Natalie Cappelli, Eva Gnegy and Anthony D'Orazio.

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Jim McNutt/Observer-Reporter Blake Smith, left, demonstrates the "Allergy Collection Equipment, ACE" mask as Nick Chadwick connects the power to the mask in the classroom at Washington Senior High School Thursday. Blake, Nick, Alana Luppino and Ali Jackson worked together on the project which placed 4th in the STEM competition held at Penn Staete South Fayette Campus.

When tech-minded students from Trinity High School were preparing to present their invention in front of a panel at the recent Governor’s JOBS 1st STEM competition at Penn State-Fayette, their adviser, physics teacher Nicole Welsh, told them, “Just present it the way you would if you were on ‘Shark Tank.'”

It worked. Their product, a de-icing solution the team calls MeltMonster, earned first place in the IU1 regional competition and a spot in the state competition.

Washington High School placed fourth with an allergy mask that filters pollen.

The competition challenges five-member teams from public, nonpublic and private high schools to select a real-world problem, conduct research and design and built a prototype device that can improve the quality of life for residents.

The Trinity STEM team decided to tackle Pennsylvania’s hazardous winter weather conditions and create a more environmentally friendly and effective de-icing solution.

Team members Anthony D’Orazio, Helena Wolenski, Trey Banco, Eva Gnegy and Natalie Capelli produced a potassium acetate and rock brine solution that can be applied to sidewalks and driveway without the corrosive and environmentally harmful effects of other de-icing products.

The team initially worked with PennDOT’s Washington County Maintenance Adam Smith, who taught them about de-icing solutions PennDOT uses or has dabbled with – including beet juice and pickle juice.

The students then investigated chemicals that can melt snow and ice but aren’t corrosive, which causes potholes and deteriorating structures, including bridges.

Tatano Wire Inc. donated reinforced rebar and ATI Steel worked with the group to test the tensile strength of the rebar after it was sprayed with a chemical to determine which de-icing solution was least corrosive.

The group believes that with some refining and improvement, MeltMonster could be sold to companies such as PennDOT for road treatment. They even have a slogan: “So nice, it will de-ice.”

Washington’s STEM team members, Ali Jackson, Nick Chadwick, Alana Luppino and Blake Smith, worked to design a prototype of an allergy mask that filters out pollen to reduce symptoms for people who suffer from allergies.

The team’s adviser, gifted support teacher Deborah Mainwaring, said the battery-powered mask was inspired by students with allergy issues.

“This competition is important because STEM jobs are going to be the jobs of the future. There are jobs in Pennsylvania, and we have to prepare students for them and make sure they have the skills for those jobs,” said Mainwaring.

For the state competition, Trinity’s team plans to design an instrument to dispense MeltMonster.

The group also determined that two gallons of their MeltMonster solution would cost $72, so they are working to reduce the cost of the product.

“I’m proud of these kids. They’re pulled in several directions – they’re in the orchestra, they’re on sports teams – and they worked extremely hard to get this done,” said Welsh. “I’m happy they pulled this off.”

The Trinity STEM team will compete against teams from Pennsylvania’s 26 other intermediate units at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology May 29.

First place team members will each receive $2,000; second place winners will receive $1,000 apiece, and for third place, each student will receive $500. If the winning students enroll in a state-owned university, they will receive an additional $1,000 for first place and an extra $500 each for second and third place winners.

To ensure that students from low income districts were to participate, each student team was provided with a $500 stipend to cover project costs at the regional level. Each team that advances to the state finals will receive an additional $750 stipend.

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