Contact: Karen Baker, 412-281-2345 School Phone: 201-843-7050
Saddle Brook Students Honored in National Competition
Team's Invention Would Reduce Medication Worries for Senior Citizens
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 29 -- Bright ideas, solid research and teamwork won four Saddle Brook Middle School students a berth as semifinalists in the Bayer/National Science Foundation Award for Community Innovation, a nationwide program that challenges students to use science and technology to develop solutions to community issues.
"The issue of medications and senior citizens hits close to home," say eighth-graders Nicole Gerber, Melanie Kim, Greg Mangini and Randal Reiman. "What if a grandparent forgets to take his or her medicine?" After learning that prescription drug-related problems cause an estimated 119,000 deaths per year, the team, coached by Coordinator of Gifted Education Marilyn Hamot Ryan, conducted its own research among local seniors and found nearly 50 percent sometimes forget their medication.
The solution the team devised is an ingenious device called RX Alert, a wall-mounted dispenser with a timer and alarm system that alerts an individual and provides the correct pills when it is time for medication. The device can dispense as many as four types of pills and includes a light alarm for hearing-impaired individuals. The team has built and tested a prototype.
The team began work on its project last fall and submitted a written and visual presentation to Bayer/NSF Award. A panel of community leaders, scientists and experts in science education judged it one of the top three entries in Region 9, which includes the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia. Nearly 2000 students participated nationwide.
A Chance to Compete at Epcot®
On April 17, 10 of the 30 semifinalist teams will be named winners of an all-expense-paid trip Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort, where they will compete in the Bayer/NSF Award's National Championship, June 20-26. The event is held in conjunction with the prestigious Discover Magazine Awards for Technological Innovation.
Rewards include $36,000 in US savings bonds for the top three national winners. In addition, one team will bring home the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to help bring its idea to life in the community.
The finalists also will attend the Christopher Columbus Academy, a custom-designed educational program. Conducted by scientists, engineers and educators, the program reveals the science and technology behind the thrills and excitement of Epcot® and the Magic Kingdom®.
Real-Life Experience with Science and Technology
Sponsored by the Bayer Corporation, as part of its Making Science Make Sense program, the National Science Foundation and the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation with Discover Magazine, the Bayer/NSF Award is turning kids on to science. Its cross-curricular, team-oriented, inquiry-based, real-life approach to science education attracts kids of all interests and ability levels. The program premiered in 1996 and is endorsed by the National Middle School Association.
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