On May 9, the One8 Foundation held their annual Applied Learning Student Showcase.  All Project Lead the Way (PLTW) students from across the state were invited to share the science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) projects they worked on throughout the year at their respective high schools.  In particular, students that have been taking the PLTW Capstone course were offered the opportunity to demonstrate to the Massachusetts schools’ community their work on an advanced STEM project.  Over 100 capstone projects from all corners of the Commonwealth were represented at the showcase. 

Milford High School seniors Maya Santos and Aloiye Okhipo were awarded the Liberty Mutual Innovation Award for their project on the thermoelectric recovery of energy from turf fields. The judges stated, "This team's capstone project exemplified the very best of Applied Learning - insightful, high-quality work, that pushed boundaries and delivered real value.  Industry professionals were truly impressed by their innovation, execution, and excellence."

Milford High School seniors Maya Santos and Aloiye Okhipo

were awarded the Liberty Mutual Innovation Award for their project

on the thermoelectric recovery of energy from turf fields. 

Mr. Robert Knapp, Milford High School Physics teacher and teacher of the PLTW Engineering course, shared the following about the project completed by Maya and Aloiye: “From the start of the year, Maya had focused  on problems that were actively bothering her. Not only was the crumb rubber on turf fields environmentally concerning but it was an annoyance, hot, got in your shoes. She landed on how hot the turf could get. This served as a moment of inspiration as she had just been learning about geothermal heating and she tied the two ideas together. From there she identified how to capture this problem. As Maya began to turn her research into a prototype, Aloiye joined the project. They worked together to assemble a prototype device just a few days before the presentation. Maya’s innovation and persistence, along with Aloiye’s teamwork and flexibility, made for an outstanding, forward-looking project by two outstanding engineering students. They made Milford High School first year at the showcase a proud event for MHS and our Science educators.  These two students were excellent representatives of our school.”

The One8 Foundation is a philanthropic organization that combines funding with strategic expertise to support nonprofits working to create positive social change, particularly in the area of education. The One8 Foundation supports outstanding education leaders with compelling ideas that deliver social impact and change. The One8 Foundation has a focus on preparing students for a rapidly changing data-rich world through applied learning.

Project Lead The Way is a non-profit organization that provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum and professional development for PreK-12 students and teachers. The curriculum is designed to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a STEM-driven world. PLTW offers programs for elementary, middle, and high school students, covering areas like computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. 

Submitted by Milford Public Schools