Eight teams of freshmen and sophomore Camas High School Magnet students traveled to Washington State University in Pullman on May 19 to compete in the fifth annual Imagine Tomorrow competition. Once again, the “Magnetos” distinguished themselves by bringing home 1st place and 3rd place awards in the Design category.
More than 119 teams from 47 high schools in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana competed in the energy-focused problem-solving competition. Teams of two to five students competed in four categories: Behavior, Biofuels, Design and Technology. Two groups from CHS won in the design category, which challenges students to design a living or working space that has significantly lower CO2 emissions than at present.
Students Ryan Lim, Zach Hein, Carly Marshall, Ryann Bruno and Xianguang Yan designed a stormwater filter that would work with existing stormwater infrastructure. The filter uses microorganisms to break down nitrogenous pollutants, turning them into atmospheric nitrogen, and helps combat eutrophication, which can lead to excessive algae growth. Each student in this first place team earned $1,000 and CHS received $5,000.
Hope Richter, Edie Myers-Powers, Sophie Shoemaker and Esther Kwon placed third with their aquaponics design. Each of the students received $500 and CHS received $1,500.
“It’s really cool to see our students on their feet speaking so articulately about their original research with professors and industry pros from across the region. “ CHS teacher Sam Greene commented. “Our students’ legacy and success at this competition is a testament to the quality education they receive, K-12, in the Camas School District.”
This is the fifth year of Imagine Tomorrow. Camas has been represented by eight teams all five years, winning prizes each year.
To learn more about Imagine Tomorrow, go to www.imagine.wsu.edu.
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