PHS Freshmen Win STEM Competition, Save Lives

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Pottstown High School freshmen Will Levey, Abdel Elgendy and advisor Andrew Bachman at the regional Governor's STEM competition, which the two Pottstown students won.

Pottstown High School freshmen Will Levey and Abdel Elgendy proved they were up to the challenge of the 2020 PA Governor's STEM Competition.

The two-man team took on schools from southeast PA, most of which were made up of five-man teams. 

Nevertheless, they earned the regional championship and will move on in May to Dixon University where they will compete with regional champs from across the state. 

The challenge was to design and build a prototype that can accomplish a series of tasks, provide a solution to a community based problem, and improve the lives of Pennsylvanians. 

The problem they were tasked with stated, during the Summer vehicles with windows up create unsafe conditions for children and pets in parked cars.The challenge? Develop a detection and alert system that will save lives. 

Will Levey and Abdel Elgendy present their winning design.

With guidance from their advisor, high school engineering teacher Andy Bachman, they spent more than 40 hours after school in the Engineering Technology lab developing the prototype for a “Hot Car Death Prevention System.” 

They gave a 20-minute presentation and demonstration of their “children’s car seat with sensors and alert system.”

Using the engineer and design process, Levey and Elgendy developed a project charter, Gantt Chart, created electrical schematics, designed and 3D printed components, documented their progress, formulated a bill of materials (BOM), and submitted a 7-page proposal with work cited. 

"We are all proud of these two young men who have used creativity,critical thinking and hard work to develop an idea the has the potential to save lives," Bachman said.