Academy students on winning team in global STEM challenge

Academy students on winning team in global STEM challenge

Four Edison Academy students were part of a team that finished first in the Nokia Global STEM Innovation Challenge.

The four -- Rishi Masand, Swapnanil Deb, Meghna Mehta and Sankruth Kota – all of whom have now graduated – were among 14 students from the academy entrepreneurship class who attended a STEM Innovation Camp sponsored by Junior Achievement at Nokia in Murray Hill in May. Students were tasked with creating an innovative business model for one of Nokia’s existing products. 

Passaic County Vocational School students were mixed in with academy students in teams of six to mimic the experience of collaborating with team members they may not know. The winning team, including the four academy students, came up with a smart watch that would be able to monitor and alleviate tremors.

The team then won in a global online final challenge in June, competing against teams from Chicago, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Finland and Israel.

Rishi and Sankruth are headed for the University of Illinois in the fall, while Swapnanil will attend Rutgers University, and Meghna will go to Barnard College.

7/19/17