Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Christopher Columbus Awards 2004-2005

Christopher Columbus Awards and $25,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Community Grant.

Finalist Teams

At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World , two of the finalist teams received gold medals and savings bonds for their winning entries. For the second time in nine years, a special Judges Award was given this year for an innovation which addresses the disparity in size of middle school students which affect their ability to see blackboards or teacher in the classroom and came up with a viable solution. The competition is geared toward middle school-age children, and gives students experience in solving problems using the scientific process of exploring, analyzing and drawing conclusions.

The finalist 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.

Gold Medal - Multi-Sensory Fire Alarm – River Bluff Middle School, Stoughton, WI

Problem: Children younger than five years old and teenagers have deeper sleep patterns than adults that may prevent them from hearing the sound of a fire alarm in time to get to safety.

Solution: Combine water jets and a voice alarm contained inside a stuffed animal, to abruptly wake the child in a fire and direct him or her to safety.

Gold Medal - Westerly Innovations – Babcock Middle School, Westerly, RI

Problem: More than 400 million pounds of computers, cell phones, handheld games and other devices are thrown away in the U.S. each year, leaving two million tons of E-waste.

Solution: Held an 'E-Waste Drop-off Day' where they collected 21,000 pounds of used computers and other E-waste, and provided refurbished computers for many residents who didn't own one. They hope to implement a sustainable E-waste recycling center.

$25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant – Auto-MAT-ic –

Saddle Brook Middle School, Saddle Brook, NJ

Problem: More than 1.6 million senior citizens are treated in emergency rooms every year due to falls in their homes, many occurring in the middle of the night.

Solution: Develop a secure floor mat that automatically turns a light on for a set period of time when a person steps on it as they get out of bed.

Judges Award – The Chade Bag – Edward W. Stitt, IS 164, New York, NY

Problem: There is a huge disparity in size among middle-school students, spanning a foot and a half in height and 100 pounds in weight, which can cause problems for some students not being able to see the blackboard and teacher.

Solution: An inflatable backpack that folds out into an elevated chair which the students can easily take to each class and even use to carry their supplies. It gives them the extra lift they need to comfortably see the teacher and blackboard and even has applications outside the classroom at sporting events and concerts