'Making for Good Challenge' Awards 3 Prizes

A $15 reusable device for blocking pain; a portable CT scanner; and a device for reducing distracted driving. Those were the three winners in this year's "Making for Good Challenge," a competition run by toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker and education technology company Discovery Education through their joint "Innovation Generation" program.

The goal of the contest was to encourage teams of high schoolers to explore the process of building, doing and making. Entries consisted of 60- to 90-second videos describing a solution to a problem that had links to social or environmental aspects. Judges included teachers, scientists and school district leaders from across the country. The challenge drew 375 submissions.

First place in the "Making for Good Challenge," went to two students who developed a $15 pain abatement alternativeto opioids.

First place in the "Making for Good Challenge," went to two students who developed a $15 pain abatement alternativeto opioids.

First place went to two students, Shivam A., a ninth grader from Shelby County Schools in Memphis, TN, and Saksham S., an 11th grader from Germantown Municipal School District in Germantown, TN. The students won $15,000 and a virtual mentorship with a Stanley Black & Decker employee for their creation of a prototype device for providing pain relief without the use of drugs as a solution for reducing the use of opioids.

Second place, which garnered $10,000 and a Stanley Black & Decker "prize pack," went to a team of four students in New Mexico, New York and California who had originally met during the 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, AZ. Their latest entry consisted of a "modular, portable, and handheld X-ray computed tomography system" for use to first responders addressing serious injuries.

Second place in the "Making for Good Challenge," was given to a team of students from three states who developed a modular, portable CT scanner for use by first responders.

Second place in the "Making for Good Challenge," was given to a team of students from three states who developed a modular, portable CT scanner for use by first responders.

Third place, which came with $5,000 and a prize pack, went to two students in New Jersey, for their creation of Blok, a small device that controls a driver's phone to prevent the driver from running apps that could prove distracting.

"People can be in different areas. You can still work and have the same innovative passion," said Justin, a member of the portable CT scanner team, in a video about his project. "We don't need million-dollar innovation facilities just to get work done."

"At Stanley Black & Decker, we are committed to empowering students with the resources required to bring to life STEAM innovations that solve today's most pressing problems," said Stanley Black & Decker Corporate Responsibility Officer, Deb Geyer, in a statement. "We are thrilled to spotlight and congratulate the 2020 Making for Good Challenge winners for their creativity and problem solving."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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