10/26/2023
Congratulations Aiden!
STEM 9th Grader, Aiden Grover was selected as one of 30 finalists in the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge in Washington DC, October 28th - November 2nd, 2023
Each student competitor will be judged on both their science research projects as well as their demonstration of collaboration and critical thinking skills during team challenges, emphasizing the importance and value of teamwork in STEM fields.
Pickleball: What's all that noise?!?!
For his award-winning project (which advanced from school, to district, to county competition), Aiden researched and built several prototypes of pickleballs which decreased the noise that was made on the court. Aiden says. He found the best solution to be adding flexible but rigid material to the ball’s exterior. That’s because the hard surfaces on the ball and paddle make a colossal sound when they collide. In the end, Aiden’s prototype with soft rubber dots added to its surface worked best. “It bounced just as high as the control did, but it was only 62% as loud,” he says. Source: https://www.societyforscience.org/jic/2023-finalists/
