Science Team receives $2,500 prize package for tool to measure nutritional value of food
The Science Team at Granada Hills Charter (GHC) has won a $2,500 prize package as it competes in a national competition designed to boost student interest and understanding in STEM and its impact on their lives.
The Solve for Tomorrow competition, sponsored by Samsung, challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their communities. The competition engages students in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value beyond the classroom. Students participating in this year’s competition have boldly entered their game-changing ideas to tackle climate change, school safety, personal safety, mental health, school bus commuting, and more.
GHC’s Science Team identified a lack of information about the nutritional value of food as a hole that needs to be filled. To address it, they designed a user-friendly tool, deMETER, a multi-chamber pen that determines total carbohydrate, protein, fat, and calorie content in a meal using chemistry and microfluidics. Developed with feasibility in mind with the aid of graduate student mentors, UCLA professors, and tech experts in the UCLA CNSI Nanovation Competition, each component of deMETER has been meticulously researched. deMETER syncs with a mobile app to display nutritional information so the user can track and make informed decisions about what they eat at home or on the go.
The team is among 300 finalists from across California. Teachers and students at each State Finalist schools will now submit lesson plans detailing how their proposed STEM project will address their identified community issue. Fifty State Winners will advance to the next phase of the competition and receive $20,000 in technology and supplies, as well as a video kit to help document their project in action. One of the 50 will be chosen as the Sustainability Innovation Award Winner, receiving an additional $50,000 prize package of eco-conscious classroom technology.