TAMPA, Fla. — Early detection of red tide, and a better understanding of the environmental scourge, may soon be a reality thanks to a bunch of incredibly smart teenagers at a Tampa school.
Cambridge Christian School was chosen as only one of eight academic institutions in the country to receive a prestigious $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Grant for young inventors.
Under the tutelage of STEM teacher Tiesha Watson, the InvenTeam at Cambridge Christian is developing MOSES (Motorized Offshore Environmental Sensor), an autonomous marine vessel that will detect and collect data on the harmful algae that causes red tide.
The information could then be used to alert businesses and tourists affected by harmful waters.
The students are doing everything from building the MOSES vessel to testing the sensor and GPS systems to fundraising and documenting the journey.
“I’m so proud of all of these students finding ways that they can excel and finding leadership roles that they probably didn’t think they could fulfill,” said Watson.
Representatives from the Lemelson-MIT Program will visit the school in February to check the students’ progress.
For more on Cambridge Christian’s MOSES invention, click here.
