News Eagle Article by Katie Collins

Follow this link to read a lovely article about our InvenTeam by local News Eagle reporter Katie Collins!

 http://www.neagle.com/article/20140728/NEWS/140729744

EurekaFest Presentation!

Hi guys! It's been a few weeks since the InvenTeam convened and you've heard from us, but hopefully you've been enjoying your July. Can you believe it's already been over a month since EurekaFest?

Here is a link to a video of our InvenTeam's presentation at EurekaFest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUndd_N4STg

July 10, 2014

Today we are tying up some loose ends by handling some PR details and cleaning up. We are writing out thank-you letters to all of the contributors to our process, unpacking our travel trailer, and also meeting with Katie Collins from our local paper, The News Eagle, to allow her to give a final report of our experience.
Now comes the next phase of our invention process independent of the InvenTeams program. We have yet to assemble the remainder of our custom circuit boards, apply for a patent for our invention, and we may also make improvements to the structure of the device. All of that will come in later months towards the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.
For now, have a great summer, all!

July 3, 2014

One week ago, the InvenTeam surprised our leader Mr. Shultz at his house with a party to thank him for all of the things he has done for our team. We are thankful to him for presenting us with the opportunity to participate in the InvenTeams program, for always keeping us on task, and for everything else he does for the students of the WAHS Gifted program as a whole. Because Mr. Shultz is an avid fisherman, the entire team pitched in to buy Mr. Shultz a beautiful personalized fishing reel.

More Photos from the Showcase

 

 

 

Recap from Saturday

Saturday was the final day of EurekaFest 2014. The day began with the Duck 'N' Hover design challenge sponsored by Duck Tape brand following shortly after breakfast. Students were split up into separate teams of about seven people and asked to design structures that, when blown by a fan, could lift a payload of rubber duckies into the air. Students were given three hours to design, build, and test their devices with random materials including PVC piping, trash bags, wire hangers, and randomly chosen mystery items.
At the end of the three hours, the teams were given a short break for lunch and then bussed to the Boston Museum of Science where the teams competed against each other with their final products. Prizes were awarded for success, most creative use of duct tape, and biggest failure. All in all, each team put in great effort and worked well together, all the while learning solve problems in a shorter amount of time than they may be used to.
The students were given time to tour the museum and then went back to McDermott court for a barbecue-style dinner. The evening gave way to the closing of EurekaFest with a carnival in the courtyard. There were carnival games, an East Coast Gaming truck, frisbee, cotton candy, and more. This night of socializing between InvenTeams was a nice way to bring a fantastic weekend to a close.

We're Home!

Last night concluded our amazing stay in Massachusetts. The team packed up and by 7AM Sunday was on its way to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution across the straight from Martha's Vineyard in Cape Cod. We arrived at the Challenger House, toured a model of the original ALVIN submersible, and walked through the remaining buildings of WHOI, all the while being led by mentor Mr. Paul Fucile. At noon the team walked a mile-long bike path along the shore to Mr. Fucile's office in Woods Hole and had a lovely barbecue after touring his facility. There will be photos from Sunday to come soon.

Show(case) Time!

In just ten minutes the showcase will begin! All teams have a chance to show off their displays and tell visitors about their inventions. Displays include slideshows, invention models, financials, and more. We'll be here for the next three hours, so check back for more of the showcase!

Opening Dinner

Last night we had our opening dinner at EurekaFest! Along with great food, it featured each of the collegiate prize winners, all of whom were set to present their inventions and answer questions from the students. As the meal concluded, the communications team and some friends from School of Dreams Academy of New Mexico started a beach ball fight, which soon became a half hour long activity between all the teams. Give them some inflated plastic balls and a tent full of the nation's best and brightest students turn into regular teenagers. 

Check back soon for more updates from EurekaFest!

12 hours to go!

In just 12 hours we will be well on our way to Cambridge! Over the course of the weekend we will be doing our best to keep you, the viewer, posted on all the latest happenings at EurekaFest. Check back over the next three days to see what we're up to!

Goodnight, and wish us a safe trip!

We would also like to congratulate freshman tech team member Sebastien Aparicio on his completion of his Eagle Scout project. Shortly after our team made our pitch to the board, Sebastien gave a short presentation on the final product of his project. It's good to see that our team members are well-rounded.

School Board Meeting a Success

Last night we did our first official run-through of our presentation at Wallenpaupack's school board meeting. Each of the six student presenters did a phenomenal job and really made an impression on the members of the board. Mr. John Spall, school board president, expressed his approval by presenting the InvenTeam with a proclamation from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.

Two more days!

Almost There!!

It's hard to believe we have been working up to EurekaFest for just over a year now. This Thursday's the day! Woohoo! One year ago this month we gathered together as a rag-tag group of Gifted students, and today, we're a team of individuals who accomplished something great together.
At this point, we are all set to present our invention at EurekaFest. This coming Monday, we're set to give our presentation to Wallenpaupack's school board, and then on Thursday we pack up and head up to Cambridge. To the other 14 teams from across the nation, we are overjoyed to finally meet you, and we bid you a safe trip as we all converge upon MIT this week.

Also, congratulations to our one and only senior team member, Adam Haig, on graduating Wallenpaupack Area High School last night!

Weekend Testing

Over the weekend, select members of the team stopped in at Lighthouse Harbor Marina to check the status of the readings on the oscilloscope. All is looking good!

 

 

 

    

Countdown to EurekaFest!

We're just over two weeks away from the main event! Leading up to our departure, we'll be finalizing our presentation, working on some finishing touches on the models, and ironing out the details of the following weeks. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us. Our school year is coming to a close next friday, so on top of our team's work, individually we all have finals and SATs to worry about. The Monday after the last day of school we are giving our school board a sneak peak of our presentation. Wish us luck!

Trip to Lighthouse Harbor Marina

Last week, the team traveled to Lighthouse Harbor Marina on route 507 for a second large-scale test of the device. With the use of a boat, tech team member Kristian Sonsteby created waves to help us test the anchoring system and get a reading on the oscilloscope. Photos of the experience can be found on our Facebook page.

Minus interruption from sporadic downpours, last Thursday was a productive day. We learned that strong waves bend the dampening plates out of shape, and that we need a stronger pole running through the center of the anchoring system. Otherwise, the readings we got on the oscilloscope were up to par.

Our Own Circuit Boards!

Thanks to the advice of one of our amazing mentors, our Inventeam has designed and created our very own circuit boards that will make our device as efficient possible! So far we have one board completed.

Earth Day Celebration

This Saturday, our team had the amazing opportunity to showcase our wave generator at a local Earth Day Celebration hosted at the PPL Center. Not only did many interested celebration goers watch our live presentations and listen to our explanations, but we also received official recognition from various people and organizations in celebration of our accomplishments. Saturday, April 26, 2014 was officially declared Wallenpaupack Inventeam Day!

 

Blue Ridge Cable TV 13 News Interview!

This morning the Wallenpaupack InvenTeam had an amazing interview with Blue Ridge Cable 13 News! Some team members participated in interviews and others displayed live presentations of our wave tank model and our latest prototype. It will air tonight. Be sure to check it out!

Working Towards Wayne-Pike County Earth Day Celebration

Happy Earth Day all! This Saturday is the Wayne-Pike County Earth Day Celebration, at which we will be showing off our device. This week, the whole team is working diligently to complete all of the elements of the invention process we would like to display this weekend. The technical team is hard at work fine-tuning the device, all the while the financial team is putting together some calculations from over the past year and the communications team is creating a display presentable to the public. Links for more information on the Earth Day Celebration are available in a previous posting. Hope to see you there!

Pool Test is a Success!

Hello everyone, long time no talk! While you have all been enjoying your spring breaks, the Wallenpaupack InvenTeam has been hard at work in an effort to make our wave generator the very best it can be. Thanks to great ideas on our part and some great suggestions from other teams and mentors, the device has come a long way since the past summer. With a revamped design, we decided to test our latest prototype in a local community pool on Thursday while Mother Nature worked to melt the last of the ice on Lake Wallenpaupack. A video will be posted soon, so please check back later for that!

Model Dock

Happy Spring! You'd think it would be starting to get warm here, right? Wrong. To cope with this we are planning to use a swimming pool to test our generator. Because swimming pools generally do not have docks in them, our technical team has built a 4' 4" x 2' dock. It came out very nice, and it's quite adorable, if we do say so ourselves.

Another Exciting Visit from Katie Collins!

Check out these great photos the awesome reporter Katie Collins took at one of our recent work sessions! The proceed to the gallery, click here!

Mid-Grant Technical Review

Hello everyone! This is a full video of information we presented at our Mid-Grant Technical Review! We hope you learn a lot and enjoy watching!

Pike-Wayne Earth Day Festival

On April 26, our local PPL center is hosting an Earth Day celebration featuring, among others, an exhibit on our team. Our communications team will be working to put together a display that will include our invention model and plenty of information for the public to view. For more information on the events of the Pike-Wayne Earth Day Festival, click here!

Wallenpaupack InvenTeam Receives "Empowering Educators" PPL Grant for $2000

Yesterday Meg Welker, representative for PPL, presented the Wallenpaupack InvenTeam with the "Empowering Educators" grant worth $2000. This very generous grant is just the supplement we needed to pay the way for the remainder of our team to visit Eurekafest in June. On behalf of those students and the team as a whole, we would like to formally thank PPL for this donation.

February 20th Mid-Grant Review

Last week's review ran smoothly. Overall, 21 guests attended, 3 of whom were representatives from PP&L (Pennsylvania Power and Light). All Paupack InvenTeams students presented their bit of the PowerPoint to the attending audience and afterwards split into their individual committees to answer questions and talk with the public. Towards the end of the night, the team met with a reporter from the local newspaper, the News Eagle, to do an interview during which questions were answered regarding the work we have done and the contributors we have met with.

Mid-Grant Review Circuit Test

 

Here is a video of our wave tank and test device.  IT WORKS!!

Mid-Grant Review Postponed

Well, due to the significant snowfall here it looks like the mid-grant review will have to be put off for another week. The review will hopefully be held next Thursday, February 20th from 3:30-5:30PM in the Wallenpaupack Area High School library. Hope you can attend! Stay safe and warm, everyone!

Mid-Grant Review

Clear a spot in your calendars, folks! Our mid-grant review of our progress is scheduled for this Thursday, February 13, from 3:30-5:30PM, depending on weather. If a storm should soil our plans, the review will likely be held the following Thursday, February 20. This event is open to the public. Attendees will be able to view our financials, a functioning model of our invention, our calculations, and this blog along with our Twitter and Facebook accounts. There will be snacks provided and a Q and A session with our team members. Come out and say hi!

Paupack Plunge

This Saturday, February 15, the team is participating in the Paupack Plunge held at Lighthouse Harbor Marina on Route 507 in Greentown. Participants dive in the lake for a minimum of $25. All proceeds benefit the Tafton Fire Company dive rescue team. You can come out and show your support from 11AM to 3PM or look for us on channel 13, Blue Ridge Cable. For viewing times check your local listings.

For more information on the Plunge, call Lighthouse Harbor Marina at (570) 857-0220 or follow this link: http://www.paupackplunge.com/index.html

Hello everyone! We're on Facebook and Twitter, too! "Like" and follow us for more updates and events regarding the Wallenpaupack InvenTeam.

Facebook - Search for "Paupack Waves" or go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/PaupackWaves

Twitter - Search @paupackwaves or "Paupack InvenTeam", or go to: https://www.twitter.com/PaupackWaves

Video Conference with Paul Fucile Part #2

Thursday, January 23, 2014


Our technical team met up again with Paul Fucile via video conference. Despite the technical difficulties that held us up for the greater part of an hour, this continuation of our conference with Mr. Fucile proved useful to us. This week, Mr. Fucile went over with us some basics of computer programming that tie into the construction of the future circuitry of our device. The intention of going over this information was to basically work out the problem of creating a circuit usable for our purposes.

2013 in Review

2013 has come to a close and in the new year we are going forward with our weekly meetings, fundraising events, and meetings with others helping us on our way to EurekaFest this summer. This is a good opportunity for us to look at 2013 in review.
Over the summer of 2013, our newly formed team came together to find an area of need in the world around us and formulate an idea we could present to the Lemelson MIT program. Based on our location, it was appropriate to look towards our hydroelectric power-producing lake for inspiration. Thus, the idea of a generator that convets wave motion into electricity was born.
In a series of meetings over the summer we finalized a grant proposal to send over to the LMIT program, and hallelujah! our proposal was approved and we were granted the money needed to make our invention become a reality. Since then, we have brainstormed, gone through trials, and experienced failure as well as success week after week. We have built a "wave tank" in which our technical team will be placing a small-scale model of the invention and demonstrating the function of the electric wave energy generator. This tank to date is still in the works, and the technical team is continuing to ready it for use. The circuit continues to be improved upon to maximize function and efficiency.
Today, we are just under five months away from unveiling our final product to the Lemelson MIT program and the fourteen other schools from all over the country coming together in Cambridge this June. Until then, we have plans to grow interest in our effort, fundraise, and each and improve upon our final product.The best is yet to come!

Video Conference between the Technical Team and Paul Fucile, Senior Engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

January 16, 2014

 

Our technical team sat in a video conference with Paul Fucile, the senior engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic in Massachusetts. In this conference the team and Mr. Fucile went over some basics of curcuitry and discussed the role of impedence in the electronic aspect of our invention. Mr. Fucile also gave us some helpful suggestions as to the structure of the dock fixture and the means of mounting it to a dock. Next Thursday, January 23, we will be meeting again with Mr. Fucile via video conference.

 

 

We're Back!

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season! After a nice holiday break a a great deal of school cancellations and delays due to frigid temperatures and snow and snow and more snow, we're back working full speed ahead! Be expecting more regular updates from our Facebook, Twitter, and blog! Our wave tank is almost ready to go and we're discussing ways we can make our invention work as efficiently as possible.
We are planning lots of exciting things, so get ready!