Tucumcari High selected as finalist in challenge

Tucumcari High School has been selected as a finalist in the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam challenge with its plan to develop a small-scale and portable emergency alarm button.

Lemelsom-MIT InvenTeams are groups of high school students, educators and mentors that invent technological solutions to real-world problems of their choosing. Students rely on inquiry and hands-on problem-solving as they use science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, to develop prototypes. About a dozen previous finalists have earned patents for their projects.

Tommy Evans, a Tucumcari High teacher and mentor of the school’s robotics team, said Thursday he drew from his farming experience on an idea for an emergency alert button.

“Years ago, we had an issue where a hired hand who was driving a tractor. My brother could see he was about to do something bad and couldn’t get him to stop quick with the cellphone,” he said.

He envisions a magnetic, fist-sized button that lights green when everything is good but instantly lights red and sounds an alarm when a worker at a job site, seeing danger, hits it. Evans says it sounds like a simple project, but it likely will need multiple types of signals — including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and citizens band radio — and repeaters to work correctly.

Evans said the button also could be useful in the construction industry, where workers are scattered over a sizable area and often work with noisy equipment.

Evans said the core members of his team on the project are Dominick Jasper, Seth Ashcraft, Jesus Bueno De La O, Luis Molinas and Tierra Bason. He said he will try to gain three to five other students to develop it.

The team was temporarily dispersed last week because some were close contacts to a COVID-19 case at the school and are being quarantined.

Evans said the Tucumcari project can be amended later. It will be submitted in early November, and schools will find out whether they’re finalists before Thanksgiving. Those 15 schools would receive $10,000 to produce their projects.

Evans said his team used $15,000 received for being a semifinalist earlier this year in Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Contest to buy a three-dimensional printer and other equipment that will be used to help develop the button. A Samsung laptop computer, also won in the contest, will be used to help design it. He also bought snacks and drinks for the students while they’re working on the project.

It isn’t all fun and games with electronics, though.

“When you get to this level, it’s like playing varsity basketball. Just because you show up doesn’t mean you get to play. You have to put in the time, you have to put in the work, you have to be willing to show you’re a part of that process,” Evans said.

He said the team also might provide another benefit for high-risk students.

“I’m also trying to get some kids who normally wouldn’t go this route and get them in there with upper-level kids, kinda get drug along with your peers,” he said. “There’s some kids who have nothing; they struggle at home, but they’re extremely bright and want to see what’s ahead of them. My big speech to them is anyone who does STEM can go pro if they want to.”