Hyde Park students go for the gold

Innovation seems to be part of the curriculum at Hyde Park Middle School.

For the third year in a row, Hyde Park students have been finalists in a national contest that challenges them to come up with an innovative idea and craft a model to demonstrate it.

In May seventh-graders Lauren Wu, Linea Rondael, Ricardo Becerra and Antonio Scott will head to Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, where they will compete against nine other teams for the Bayer-National Science Foundation Award for Community Innovation.

Their design: a child-safe pool cover.

In its third year, the Making Science Make Sense program challenges sixth- through eighth-graders to create solutions to problems in their communities. Nearly 2,000 students this year submitted entries.

The projects are judged by scientists across the nation. During the finals, which begin May 31, first-place students win $5,000 each, second-place students $3,000 and third-place students $1,000.

The teams also compete for a $25,000 grant.

If the Hyde Park team -- all members of the school's science and math academy -- should win, the $25,000 would be used to develop a project in the community, whether it be a pool cover or a campaign for pool safety, Steve Loyd, its coach and a Hyde Park science teacher, said.

The pool cover is made from PVC pipes attached tightly together by string and covered with a waterproof tarp. The team will bring a model made from drinking straws and Saran Wrap and a full-scale sample of connected PVC pipes. The pipes have been tested in a pool. A five-minute video on the pool cover and a written report was made by the team and sent to the judges.

The team developed its idea after learning how many children drown after getting tangled in tarp pool covers, Becerra said. Dust, pollen and population growth were other issues the team considered. Nevada is one of the top five states for drowning or near-drowning incidents.

"We researched and researched and found that PVC pipe is durable and it floats," Becerra said.

Where a plastic tarp would fold and wrap around the child and sink under the weight, the PVC would float and not allow children to fall through. The cover will hold up to 200 pounds and can be custom made to fit any pool.

For more than two months team members have been meeting 4 1/2 hours a week to work on the project.

"The whole experience is pretty awesome for the kids," Loyd said.

Last year a team from Hyde Park placed first for designing a back belt on swings to keep kids from falling out.

The first year Hyde Park competed, the team created a "Particulate Pal" that measured dust at construction sites and would sound an alarm at high levels.

The contest is sponsored by the Bayer Corp., National Science Foundation, Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and Discover Magazine.

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