From staff reports
CLARION – Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 hosted a regional Governor’s PA STEM Competition Feb. 27 at the RIU6 headquarters in Clarion.
This annual competition provides local school districts with a unique opportunity to tackle authentic problems utilizing science, technology, engineering and math.
This year’s competition, “Making Our Lives Better Through STEM,” featured teams of students from Allegheny-Clarion Valley, DuBois, Oil City, Redbank Valley and Titusville school districts. Each team received a $500 stipend and were challenged to research, present and design a device that was capable of making the quality of life better for citizens of Pennsylvania.
Team members from Allegheny-Clarion Valley included Sam Anderson, Levi Fair, Briar Kentzel, Jacob Kriebel, Lucas Whitcomb and adviser Joe Graff.
The Oil City team included Levi Lantz, Justin Miller, Benjamin Mizerak, Logan Stahl, Hunter Whitman and adviser Wendy Masters.
Redbank Valley’s team included Eli Carlson, Zoe Henry, Paiton Rizzo, MacKenzie Young, Kasey Watkins and advisers Jill Boyles and Deb Dinger.
The Titusville team included Reilly McDowell, Troy Williams and Ethan Zdarko along with adviser Ted Banner.
The team from DuBois earned first place.
Second place went to the Oil City team for their shoe-drying mechanism that included a “stomp mat,” a self-drying carpet and a drying ventilation system.
The team from A-C Valley earned third place with its prototype that would tackle the problem of icy windshields by allowing people to quickly clean off their cars using an insulated neoprene cover to prevent ice from forming.
Regional competitions were held at intermediate units throughout the state during February. The state finals will take place on May 19 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
