10/29/2026
Nine 8th grade students traveled to St. Francis University to compete in the IU08 Keystone STEM Challenge. The prompt-revealed just that morning- was to design an enhancement for a PA state park. Student groups were then given a little over one hour and purposefully limited physical resources to come up with an idea, create a rough prototype, and craft a sales pitch. They had a Shark Tank-like meeting with pairs of judges.
All three of our teams met the challenge head on. Team Alpha created an app that locks your phone to prevent doomscrolling while in nature. The app only allows for emergency phone calls to 911 and links to limited features such as GPS and weather information specific to each PA State Park. Team Gamma proposed the creation of all-terrain wheelchairs to allow people with mobility issues to have equal access to hiking trails. Lastly, Team Beta submitted the phenomenal idea of introducing water filtration kiosks that can collect and purify rainwater in order to keep thirsty hikers hydrated. These kiosks are covered with information about special or endangered species of plants and wildlife that are located in each specific state park.
We are elated to announce that Team Beta, consisting of Emily Borek, Hudson Knapik, and Gabe Zawisza, placed third in the Grade 7/8 span of the competition. Way to soar, Golden Eagles!
