• April 20 presentations, judging to determine winners of STEM-focused innovation competition for local high school students

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                            MEDIA CONTACT:                   Alisha Toyzan
                                                                               AGP & Associates, Inc.
                                                                               Phone: 989-839-5800      
                                                                               alisha.toyzan@agp-inc.com          
    MEDIA ADVISORY: April 17, 2024
    April 20 presentations, judging to determine winners of STEM-focused innovation competition for local high school students
    Up to $77,500 in scholarships, STEM grants to be awarded to students, schools
     
    What’s Happening?
    The A.H. Nickless Innovation Award, presented by the Nickless Family Charitable Foundation, is hosting its 11th annual Competition Day of project presentations and judging, followed by an award ceremony. Admission is free and open to the public, and members of the media are invited to cover the event.
    WHO
    19 teams of students representing Bullock Creek High School (Bullock Creek School District in Midland), Herbert Henry Dow High School (Midland Public Schools), Frankenmuth High School (Frankenmuth School District), Freeland High School (Freeland Community School District), John Glenn High School (Bangor Township Schools), Midland High School (Midland Public Schools), Nouvel Catholic Central High School (Diocese of Saginaw), and Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy (Saginaw Public School District)
    WHEN & WHERE

    EVENT SCHEDULE
    Team presentations will take place from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (with a lunch break from 11:55 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.); awards will be presented to the three winning teams at approximately 3:50 p.m. following the judges’ private deliberation. NOTE: A full presentation schedule – including brief descriptions of the projects – is provided at the end of this document.
    Throughout the event, a display from each team will be available for viewing in the foyer outside the auditorium. Student team members will be at those displays on and off during the day to answer questions about their projects.
     
    WHAT’S SPECIAL?
    Teams have been working on their projects since the September/October Phase One registration period and received $1,000 grants in November to support their planning, research and development. They now will present their final projects before a panel of judges in hopes of winning a share of nearly $78,000 in prizes. Students were challenged to work in teams to think innovatively and build solutions to solve problems impacting the world today and into the future.
    • First place will receive up to five $5,000 scholarships for student team members and a $20,000 STEM education grant for the school.
    • Second place will receive up to five $2,500 scholarships for student team members and a $10,000 STEM education grant for the school.
    • Third place will receive up to five $1,000 scholarships for student team members and a $5,000 STEM education grant for the school.
    WHAT IS THE A.H. NICKLESS INNOVATION AWARD?
    The A.H. Nickless Innovation Award was created by the Nickless Family Charitable Foundation to honor the memory of the late Arthur H. Nickless, a local innovator and owner of Wolverine Telephone Company. With a goal of inspiring passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the competition is open to high school students in Bay, Midland, Saginaw and Tuscola counties and awards up to $77,500 per year in scholarships to students and STEM grants to schools. A total of more than $640,000 has been awarded since the first competition in 2013-14. For more information, visit ahninnovationaward.com.2023-24 A.H. Nickless Innovation Award team presentation schedule for April 20
     
     
    (each presentation is 10 minutes, with a 5-minute break between presentations)
    Time School name Team name Brief description of project
    8:45 a.m. Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy (SASA) Painted Pages Literacy tool that helps students understand that similar letters have different sounds and helps them learn pronunciation
    9 a.m. Herbert Henry Dow HS Disease Detectives More accessible/affordable diagnostic saliva tests to detect certain diseases, such as breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes
    9:15 a.m. John Glenn HS The STEMatic Duo Kits for chemotherapy patients, including an IV- and port-accessible sweatshirt, a light blocker, and non-slip socks
    9:30 a.m. Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy (SASA) Team Dandelion Reducing PPE’s carbon footprint by harvesting dandelion latex to create rubber to remedy effects of the pandemic on the environment
    9:45 a.m. Frankenmuth HS The Fantastic Four Device that measures hormone levels by using estrogen and progesterone to balance out one’s levels
    10 a.m. Bullock Creek HS Subterranean Underground shelters that will help with overpopulation and homelessness by giving more variety in sheltering options
    10:10 to 10:25 a.m. – BREAK
    10:30 a.m. Bullock Creek HS Light Box Extremely loud alarm clock that also lights up, opens up the blinds/curtains and vibrates the pillow
    10:45 a.m. Herbert Henry Dow HS Power to the Piezo Sustainable, energy-efficient fan using piezoelectric effect and code
    11 a.m. Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy (SASA) SASA Green Guardians Solar-powered drone that provides harvest analytics plus crop health data using AI and combats diseases with targeted eco-friendly chemicals
    11:15 a.m. Bullock Creek HS Prescription Programmers Pill bottle that will dispense a prescribed dosage; it will lock after dispensing and unlock at a programmed time
    11:30 a.m. Nouvel Catholic Central HS Vital Core At-home monitoring device to track fetal movement in pregnant women, potentially decreasing the number of fetal deaths
    11:45 a.m. Midland HS CyberAI Software that monitors calls for potential scam activity; if anything is detected, user is alerted of potential scam
    11:55 a.m. to 12:45p.m. – BREAK
    12:50 p.m. Herbert Henry Dow HS Dow High Space Farmers Personalized healthcare wearables to help manage chronic stress and inflammation
    1:05 p.m. Herbert Henry Dow HS Gigabyte Consumer-friendly muscle-fatigue-monitoring device using surface electromyography
    1:20 p.m. Nouvel Catholic Central HS Celebration in a Box Storage container for event decorations/supplies; intended to be sent/delivered several times so consumers are not constantly buying and discarding items
    1:35 p.m. Freeland HS Sugar Sheriffs Alternative, organic, environmentally favorable deicer to replace current road salt technology for thoroughfares and commercial and domestic parking lots/driveways
    1:50 p.m. Nouvel Catholic Central HS Find My Firefighter GPS tracking device that gives precise location of a firefighter so they can be found faster to reduce serious injuries
    2:05 p.m. Nouvel Catholic Central HS NouvelOil Engine that filters oil twice and cleans it, significantly increasing engine life and oil life
    2:20 p.m. Nouvel Catholic Central HS The Protectors Car windshield protector, similar to a phone screen protector, to shield against debris while driving
    NOTE: Following the final presentation, there will be a break in the formal event program from 2:35 to 3:45 p.m. while the judges deliberate privately, which provides an extended opportunity to view the teams’ displays in the foyer. The program will resume at approximately 3:50 p.m.* for brief wrap-up remarks, announcement of the three winning teams and presentation of the winning teams’ awards. Photo opportunities with the winning teams will immediately follow the presentation of the awards.
    *Formal program could resume prior to or after this time, depending on the amount of time required for the judges’ deliberation.

    April 20 presentations, judging to de...

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