Edison Universe Announces Student Innovation Contest Winners
CAPS Network students submitted proposals for innovative products and services
Edison Universe named high school students of the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network as ‘Young Edison’ innovators as part of the annual Edison Universe Student Innovation Contest.
Two students from the Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (BVCAPS) in Kansas and Utah’s Park City Center for Advanced Professional Studies (PCCAPS) were awarded grand prizes for their innovations. One student from Arizona’s CAPS Network affiliate, the Peoria Medical, Engineering and Technology (MET) Professional Academy received honorable mention.
Edison Universe is committed to inspiring educational institutions and supporting the business world. Motivated by Edison’s unique vision, unbridled optimism, and insatiable curiosity, Edison Universe is focused on nourishing the possibilities, opportunities, and foundations of success to empower the imaginations and vision of tomorrow’s inventors and innovators.
Grand prize winners Ashlyn Kennedy of BVCAPS and Nicholas Markels of PCCAPS earned adventure trips to provide experiential learning activities in other cultures to further inspire more innovation and passion for invention.
A total of 21 student innovators representing four states in the nationally-recognized CAPS Network brought to life Edison’s values by providing innovative solutions to problems displayed within their communities.
G Adventures, a small-group travel company and social enterprise, teamed up with Edison provide purposeful travel trips to Costa Rica or Peru for the two grand prize winners.
Kennedy described her innovation, Crybaby, as, “a lightweight, child-proof silicone bracelet and bluetooth parent app to help monitor your infant’s vitals, deliver immediate pediatric advice, determine your child’s needs when crying, and to keep track of events and appointments related to your child.”
Markels submitted Sporknife to help make biodegradable single-use utensils affordable.
“Biodegradable plastics are more costly than regular plastics so companies don’t buy them. I made a utensil that uses a new manufacturing design to lower cost. Sporknife is made as a single unit that splits for use, similar to chopsticks,” said Markels.
Honorable Mention was awarded to Nathaniel Denham and Nicco Shaw of Peoria MET. Denham and Shaw’s Secure Facility Robots, or SFR-BOTS, provide school security solutions through small robotic surveillance support in active threat situations.
View the complete descriptions and videos of the award-winning CAPS Network student innovations here.
About CAPS Network
The CAPS Network is recognized by the Department of Education as a national exemplar and by the Edison Awards for educational innovations in preparing students for higher education and the evolving workforce. Currently, there are 52 affiliate programs in the CAPS Network across 102 school districts in 14 states and 2 countries.
Headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., and launched in the Blue Valley School District, the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network programs share experiential learning best practices and innovative ideas for business and education partnerships. The CAPS model transforms the educational experience, centering on students’ interests with opportunities for real-world immersion and authentic projects, resulting in highly-skilled, adaptable, global innovators and leaders. To learn more about CAPS Network opportunities for students, educators and business partners, visit yourcapsnetwork.org.