Heating Up!
The time is upon us, our efforts have not gone unnoticed, and our team has collaborated through the final moments to create our aloha prototype. As a team that values unity and equity, we thrive on collaboration and each other's ideas. This month has been eventful as we start to ramp up our preparations for EurekaFest, have continued to receive grants and donations and prepare to say ‘goodbye’ to our seniors.
Our alpha prototype is changing and advancing rapidly as our team creates multiple iterations per week and schematics of the evolving circuitry are finalized. After brainstorming and exploring many ideas, our device can indeed execute two key functions - breath control through the interactive face of the device and compression through the pneumatic McKibben’s Muscle band.
As our invention develops, our audience does as well. We find that ADHD and anxiety are more common in our community than we first realized, and we have designed a useful and user-friendly device that can support anyone with these experiences. Through team collaboration, we have updated our invention statement and honed the technological and marketing aspects of our device. Members of our team also finalized the last steps in receiving a grant from Destined for X, an empowering organization that is founded by SOAR Alumni, Joshua Mendoza, that is dedicated to building opportunities for underrepresented students. Our interactions with our community expanded as we also met with the local newspaper, the Antelope Valley Press. A select few of our team members discussed our invention and emotions as EurekaFest nears. With a focus on the technology and communication of our team, we discussed prototypes, and personalized business cards, and promoted our GoFundMe.
SOAR High School's yearly carnival event gave our InvenTeam the opportunity to raise money and school community excitement. We gathered our team's artists and provided face painting for our peers. As we spend more time together beyond the classroom, we have also strengthened our relationships as a team. Moments after our schoolwide carnival, we also had a visit from a SOAR and InvenTeams alumni, Scott Marquez, who generously donated two 3D printers from Jakks Pacific, Inc. The legacy of Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams at SOAR High School runs deep in our Antelope Valley Community!
As EurekaFest nears, our Design and Communications team has officially submitted the layout and design of our table which will display infographics and the chronological development of our invention. Discussing a color theme and the components on our table was a recurring topic for our Communications and Design teams. The business cards that they individually designed for each team member have also arrived! With each team member's name, contact information, and areas of strength, the business cards will allow our team the opportunity to network and pursue opportunities at EurekaFest and MIT. We have also finalized who will represent our amazing team as speakers at EurekaFest - shout out to Isabel, Hazel, Miralla, and Elizabeth!! As our InvenTeam year comes to a close and we rapidly approach the finish line in Cambridge, our beloved seniors are also reaching the end of their high school careers. We cannot help but begin to celebrate our team’s hard work, dedication, and the work of those that are leaving. We have gained a plethora of experiences and skills throughout the 2022-2023 school year, including teamwork, problem-solving, resilience, cooperation, professionalism, and courage. Congratulations to all 27 members of our amazing team and WELL DONE on your exceptional service to students with ADHD!
