The contest is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, set up by the federal government with revenue from the sale of commemorative coins minted on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the Americas. The foundation "seeks to nurture pioneering individuals and programs which reflect the visionary spirit" of Columbus.
Middle school students pick a problem and develop a scientific solution. The $25,000 top prize is seed money to help turn the winning team's idea into a reality.
"It opens the doors to the different sciences and gets kids out into the community to talk to neighbors, mentors, and businesspeople who can help them research their project or develop their solution," said Stephanie Hallman of MMS Education in Newtown Township, Bucks County, which manages the awards.
Teams that have competed in the 14-year-old contest have earned five patents so far, Hallman said. Most recently, a seat cushion that beeps when a person's posture is misaligned won a provisional patent.
The four girls on the Council Rock team brainstormed several ideas, but chose the texting project because "it affects the most people and can help families and save lives," said Isabella DeLuca, a sixth grader at Hillcrest Elementary School in Northampton, whose mother, Tammy, served as team coach.
The group - Isabella, Hillcrest classmates Sara Rowlands and Elizabeth Sauers, and Alyssa, a seventh grader at Holland Middle School - worked on the project at the DeLucas' home for seven months after class and on weekends and holidays.
This is the second Council Rock team that Tammy DeLuca and Elizabeth Sauers' mother, Nancy, have coached to the finals.
