The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Student team recognized at District U-46 meeting

By Seth Hancock
  A group of Streamwood High School students earned their school $25,000 as the state winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.
  Manufacturing teacher Matt Erbach guided the 10-student team from his principles of engineering class in creating a wind-powered micro generator unit that, according to a School District U-46 press release, “can be used to provide lighting in areas where street lights aren’t available.”
  “I like to show them connections between a lesson in class and something tangible in the real world,” Erbach said in the press release. “Through great teamwork, we were able to create something that is sustainable and much needed.”
  The students included seniors Joseph Nigliaccio, Kenneth Perez and Mario Verdejo as well as juniors Adam Bender, Scott Dudek, Mason Heskin, Andrew Nigliaccio, Matthew Suleiman, Ashtar Tamo and Sergio Verdejo.
  The team used lasers, lathes and milling machines and received help from Elgin Community College as well as the Tooling and Manufacturing Association. The $25,000 went toward laptops and tablets as well as headphones.
  The group’s winning project was recognized at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, May 15 where one of the team members explained “the basis of it is we created a wind-powered light source to be placed in areas where there might not be a lot of lights for the safety during the night” and added the lights are charged during the day to provide a “constant source of light” at night.
  Erbach said at the meeting it was “unique in that it was student designed, student built” with only raw materials being purchased.

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