Four fifth graders from Fairmont PrivateSchools’ Mable Campus in Anaheim demonstrated their top-notch talent for
scientific innovation in Toshiba’s ExploraVision Competition. ExploraVision is
the largest student science/technology competition in the world, with 4,807
competing teams this year. The Fairmont team,
led by science teacher Kathryn Baham, was named the national first place winner
in the 4th-6th grade division for their project “Hearing
the World’s Silent Side.” The team members include Chloe S. of Fullerton,
Taylor T. of Orange, Riya B. of Buena Park and Raj S, of Anaheim.
As first place winners, each student
will receive a U.S. EE Savings Bond worth $10,000 at maturity.
Additionally, the students, their parents and their teacher Ms. Baham will
receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. for the ExploraVision
Awards Weekend May 30-June 2, 2012. The weekend will include a visit to
Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, a Science Showcase during which
the students will display and demonstrate their winning ideas, a Satellite
Media Tour and a Gala Awards Banquet.
The ExploraVision
competition challenges Kindergarten through 12th graders to propose
how a current technology might be used 20 years in the future. Fairmont’s team
of students studied the cochlear implant (hearing aid) and was shocked to
discover that with today's technology doctors are still unable to help patients
with deafness caused by auditory nerve damage. To find a solution, the students
looked to the technology that is currently being tested for spinal cord
injuries and wondered if that technology could be re-purposed in deaf patients.
The answer, it turned out, was yes.
Applying this creative thinking,
the students came up with their product: “Hearing the World’s Silent
Side” [HWSS]. HWSS is a mixture of two components: nanofibers used
in Spinal Cord technology and a 2012 Cochlear Implant. In HWSS the
nanofibers are used to coat the auditory nerve. When sound waves enter the
ear they are able to bypass the nerve damage. Combining this nanofiber
technology with the regular cochlear implant results in a perfect solution
for any type of hearing loss.
Congratulations to our young innovators!
Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools
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