Posted: Wednesday, October 23, 2019

High school students from across the Tri-state were awarded significant scholarships today at UE's fifth annual High School Changemaker Challenge, presented by Toyota Indiana.

The challenge, which is supported by the Center for Innovation and Change, is designed to motivate young people to take a leading role in identifying and solving challenges in the world around them through innovation and creativity.

The University has committed more than $1 million in scholarships to winners of this competition. Members from the top six winning teams who choose UE as their college destination will each receive 4-year scholarships to attend UE as listed below:

1st place team: Full tuition
Project Oasis
Team Idea: Social grocery store in food desert areas
Team Members: Graham Griffin, Ranny Badreddine, Futallah Hamed
Coach: Jose Mota

2nd place team: $26,000 per year
E.D.E
Team Idea: Device to prevent children from being left in hot cars
Team Members: Lydia Johnson, Isaac Martin, Elijah Jorgensen
Coach: Donna Lefler

3rd place team: $22,000 per year
Working out for a Change
Team Idea: Gyms with equipment that produce and store energy for sustainable use
Team Members: Vivian Valadares, Paxton Mosby, Madeline Erdell
Coach: Jose Mota

Three runner-up teams: $18,000 per year
Food Recovery
Team Idea: Utilizing un-served food to address food insecurity among children
Team Members: Ben Burson, Mary Franklin, Isabella Meier
Coach: Kacey Strange

Power of Composting
Team Idea: Educating to reduct food waste from school lunches
Team Members: Helaena Pfeiffer, Mary Gardner, Chloe Julian
Coach: Brooke Haldeman

Watt-a-Bike
Team Idea: Exercise bikes that generate energy to address climate change
Team Members: Krish Gupta, Kaden Merrill
Coach: Jenna Bunner, Haleigh Bennett

18 teams participated in the 2019 High School Changemaker Challenge. Projects from previous competitions can be seen in the city of Evansville, including the Upgrade Bike Share stations and the solar-powered CommuniTree at Mickey's Kingdom Park downtown. Projects still in the development stages include a musical swing set, an emergency response app, an anti-bullying board game, and many more.

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