Harker’s Clean Tech team, a new club sponsored by Smriti Koodanjeri, upper school chemistry teacher, came in third at the inaugural Clean Tech Competition Student Challenge on March 20, announced the National Science Teachers Association and Applied Materials, Inc., which sponsored the competition.
The Clean Tech competition is a collaborative student design contest developed to inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators in the field of clean technology. It immerses high school students in real-world challenges that illustrate the powerful potential of clean technology to address problems that confront humanity.
The competition involved students, ages 13-18, from the San Francisco Bay Area and Xi’an, China. The challenge posed to students was “Solar Solution to the Rescue.” Under the guidance of a teacher or other adult team leader, teams of students designed solar-powered solutions to basic human needs identified in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
After identifying a situation, students explored the issue and presented their clean tech solution to a panel of industry and education experts for judging. Harker’s team, which consisted of Maya Sathaye, Shelby Rorabaugh and Lorraine Wong, all grade 11, won third place with its project: A Solar Alternative to Charge Electric Wheelchairs. In addition to the distinction of winning, the team won $1,000 to use toward education.
Students interested in alternative energy may want to attend the upcoming Green Teen Summit on Sat., April 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted at Harker’s upper school campus. The student-organized conference for Bay Area high school students interested in environmental activism will feature inspirational speakers and a wealth of resources to help young people get involved with environmental efforts at school and abroad. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults (plus a nominal ticketing fee). A continental breakfast and vegetarian lunch is included in the price of the ticket, which can be purchased at the Green Teen Summit’s Eventbrite page.