Shenendehowa students showcase water‑testing and city‑design projects at board meeting
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
High school chemistry and engineering students presented paper-based copper and lead detection tests and a student-built computer vision app; separate Future Cities teams demonstrated climate‑adaptive urban designs. Board members praised the work and encouraged broader participation.
Students from Shenendehowa High School presented two extracurricular STEM projects during the board meeting: chemistry club members outlined accessible, paper‑based tests for copper and lead in water, while Future Cities teams displayed model cities focused on food systems and renewable energy.
Leila Shenivert, senior vice president of the chemistry club, described a paper test that uses a color change to indicate copper concentration and a student-built app that analyzes photographs to estimate molarity. "The end goal is accessible paper based tests for consumers to use to test drinking water for copper contamination," she said. Engineering students explained procedures to bake and prepare hydrophilic paper chips and described standard operating procedures developed to improve repeatability. A computer science group, led by Jerry and collaborators, described an open‑source computer vision program that locates chips in photos, extracts colors automatically and outputs results to a spreadsheet; the team said machine‑learning training will be a future focus to remove the need for known reference values.
Chemistry Club president Nitya Bajaj summarized earlier lead‑detection work using gallic acid and gold nanoparticles and explained how RGB and absorbance measurements are being used to develop calibration curves. Presenters said most work takes place after school (Tuesdays and Thursdays, roughly 2:45–4:00 p.m.) with about 15–20 regular students participating, and that the research relies on materials commonly available at grocery stores or through school labs.
Several board members complimented the students’ presentation skills and the real‑world orientation of their research. The board noted partnerships with external researchers at Skidmore College and that the teams aim to keep code and methods accessible: the computer‑vision code is published as open source, the students said.
The board encouraged continued participation and noted student teams will appear at upcoming community events, including a district robotics showcase and Future Cities regional competitions.