Denham Springs students present app and sensor to let residents monitor local lake for signs of carbon‑capture leakage

Denham Springs High School students showed the Livingston Parish School Board on April 24 a prototype app and water sensor they say will let residents see real‑time carbon dioxide and temperature readings from a nearby lake the students identified in their presentation as “Lake Marpaul.”

The presentation, by members of the school’s STEM Shark Enterprise design engineering team, explained why the students researched carbon capture and sequestration, surveyed more than 1,000 community members and built a Bluetooth‑connected sensor and companion app to display buoy and local device readings in an easy color‑coded format.

The students said their research found about 75% of respondents did not know what carbon capture and sequestration is and that more than 80% would feel safer with accessible information. "We built a future for our community where they can test their own lake, trust their own data, and feel safe again," said Katie Jahani, identified in the presentation as a team member. The team also described a feedback form and an "In Case of Emergency" button that, they said, gives users a Department of Natural Resources phone number for reported concerns and routes reports to the agency for inspection.

The team said they collaborated with Louisiana State University, Southeastern University, and researchers including Dr. Catherine Romanak of the University of Texas at Austin; they also said they consulted Louisiana Department of Natural Resources staff and a local Client Innovation Center. The students said Southeastern presently operates four buoys on the lake and that the app will display those buoy data even if a user does not own the student device. "You don't need the device to install the app," Juan Garces, one of the presenters, told the board.

The device the students described is designed to be placed about 6 inches into the water and transmit readings by Bluetooth to the app. The students said the unit uses a rechargeable battery, a biodegradable 3‑D‑printed housing and a removable sensor element so parts can be recycled. They said the app will be distributed through the Google Play store as it is further developed and that buoy alerts will push notifications to app users when readings match the team’s red/yellow/green thresholds.

Board members asked several technical and operational questions, including how alerts would propagate to residents who do not have the app, whether bathwater or other misuse could produce false alarms, and how the device would relate to any future injection well locations discussed for 2026. The students replied that the app will require a vetting process for serious reports, that the Department of Natural Resources provided a response number, and that the Lake Marpaul project timeline includes injection wells proposed for 2026; they said buoy placement is controlled by Southeastern, not the student group or the school system.

Cecil Harris, the board member who introduced the recognition and presentation, said the district was proud of the team's selection as a national finalist for a Samsung competition and noted the students had already earned a $50,000 classroom award from Samsung and travel support to the national finals in Washington, D.C.

The board did not take any regulatory or funding action related to the students' project during the meeting. The students will present at the national competition in late April; the board and community members offered congratulations and encouragement before the meeting moved to other business.