Eight spots. Out of many teams across the country, only eight Inventeams were chosen to participate in the Lemelson Foundation and MIT program (LMIT). This program is designed for top students with innovative ideas for new inventions. Fortunately, a group of students at Pembroke Pines Charter High School (PPCHS) was one of those teams.
The LMIT program is made up of a panel of well-respected inventors and business leaders. These inventors make year-long invention projects based on local problems that face their community. After 22 years of this program being around, many InvenTeams end up getting patents for the inventions they come up with. These teams from around the country showcase and present their ideas that come to life in June during Eurekafest, which is held on the MIT campus.
Seven students were chosen for the door-opening opportunity: John Abohasen, Caitlin Estevez, Valentina Glen, Dev Gupta, Steve Jacob, Joe Kahura, and Umer Qureshi. Biology teacher, robotics coach, and engineering club sponsor Darlene Laffler leads them. She acts as a mentor and guide for the team to keep them on track.
Sophomore and Inventeam member Valentina Glen states, “Basically, we are going to invent and build a technological solution for an environmental issue. My team and I are fighting against invasive species in the Everglades. After such a long and grueling application process, we are definitely ready to get to work.”
The team has been tirelessly working on their proposal since the spring. In an attempt to further understand the issue, they were able to take a trip to the Everglades with a professor from FIU who has done years of extensive research on invasive plant species. Alongside this professor, conversations with park rangers and other experts who work constantly to combat these invaders allowed them to see the weight of the issue firsthand.
“Finding out our school was selected was an extremely exhilarating moment for us, as it’s such a selective program,” PPCHS sophomore and Inventeam member Dev Gupta comments. “It was also a pretty nervous moment, because we realized we had a lot of work ahead of us and that a lot of time would be invested in this project. Regardless, I’m ready.”
Behind the scenes Laffler is committed to guiding these young students of engineering. “Our trip to the Everglades wasn’t very fun. We had netting over us and lots of equipment going out into the wild; it was definitely an experience. But it was what we had to do to truly understand the problem.” The hard work and dedication required for this project are evident in their preparation, but Laffler is confident that the team will rise to the challenge.
As the Inventeam continues to prepare for their project, they are acquiring valuable engineering and research skills, as well as making an impact on the future of the Everglades ecosystem. Hopefully, through the support from Lemelson-MIT and the $7,500 grant, as well as an abundance of determination and hard work, these inventors will be successful in bringing a real solution to this problem.
