How did you get this opportunity?
I spent a good amount of time developing my project, and after I submitted it to the national stem challenge, they seemed to like my project a lot and they decided to invite me to DC for the event.
How did you prepare for this event?
A lot of the preparation I did was just making sure that the simulation model I developed was accurate. It would’ve been really embarrassing if someone found something fundamentally flawed with my project so I made sure to thoroughly look through my project and find any issues.
What theme were you there for?
Since I had submitted my project under the “Power the Planet” category, I got to meet some really cool people that were also interested in solutions for renewable energy. I also got to meet some really cool celebrities, like Nick Uhas (was on David Dobrik’s vlogs, was a member of Big Brother, appeared on The Today Show and America’s Got Talent), and Dr. Tracy Fanara (featured in a marvel comic, was on the Mythbusters, Science Channel, National Geographic, and Weather Channel)
Could you briefly describe your project?
My project is basically a method of harvesting energy from the sun in the form of heat, and using that heat to create a temperature differential and generate electricity using a thermoelectric generator. Solar panels currently use a lot of harmful chemicals in the manufacturing process (like gallium arsenide), take up a lot of surface area, and require a lot of semiconductors in the manufacturing process. My design aimed to generate the same amount of power as any other solar panel, while taking up considerably less space and using far less semiconducting material.
Is this something that you would be interested in pursuing in the future?
I’m definitely interested in pursuing this project in the future. I’m currently in contact with a solar research company who plans on working with me to scale up the design and take the project to new heights.
What global challenges does your solution address?
The global challenge that my solution addressed is “Powering the Planet”.
Did you enjoy your time?
Absolutely! I got to meet some of the brightest teens with some of the coolest projects and got to do so much networking. EXPLR also put every student champion in a really expensive hotel for the 4 days we were there, and gave us some really good food. Definitely a unique experience.
