Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Bayer/NSF Award for the Innovation Generation 2001-2002

Bayer/NSF Award for the Innovation Generation and $25,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Community Grant

Finalist Teams

At an awards ceremony held at Epcot at Walt Disney World, three of the ten finalist teams place first, second and third and receive $36,000 in savings bonds for their winning entries. The competition is geared toward middle school-age children, and gives kids experience in solving problems using the scientific process of exploring, analyzing and drawing conclusions.

The ten teams were judged a second time for the practicality of implementing their idea. The winning team received the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to take back to their community to make their innovation a reality.

First Place - The Stopping Cart - Brandon Middle School, Brandon, MS

Problem: Runaway shopping carts in parking lots cause thousands of dollars in damage to cars and other personal belongings each year.
Solution: Developed an easy to use braking system in the handle of the cart. It operates much like the handle of a self-propelled lawn mower making it easy for shoppers and store clerks to use.

Second Place - Pendulum Braking System for Wheelchairs - Gwyn-Nor Elementary School, North Wales, PA

Problem: Difficulty controlling the speed of a wheelchair when going down ramps and sloped areas.
Solution: Using trigonometry and mechanical devices, created a pendulum braking system that applies pressure to the back wheels by remaining perpendicular to sea level even as the chair slopes downward.

Third Place - Baby Beeper - Hyde Park Middle School, Las Vegas, NV

Problem: Nearly 600 babies were rescued by the Las Vegas Fire Department after being left alone in cars in 2000. Five of these babies died from the sweltering heat, which on a hot day can reach 125 degrees in just 20 minutes in an idle car.
Solution: A baby beeper. A transmitter pad sits under a child and sounds an alarm on the driver's keychain if the driver gets more than 10 feet from the car without taking the child out of the seat.

$25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant - Milfoil Master -
Minocqua-Hazelhurst & Lake Tomahawk Elementary, Minocqua, WI

Problem: Eurasian Water Milfoil had invaded Wisconsin's lakes, quickly clogging them and threatening other plant and marine life, and potentially, area tourism.
Solution: Release the Milfoil's natural predator, a water weevil, into lakes to consume the plant and then educate area boaters and residents about ways they can help to prevent the spread of the Milfoil.