Lorain County Early College High School Students Pitch Inventions in FlexFactor Competition
March 2, 2020 — Lorain County Early College High School (ECHS) students presented their final pitches on inventive concepts that use Flexible Hybrid Electronic (FHE) technology as part of the FlexFactor program at
Four ECHS teams were challenged to work together to identify a problem that holds value to them, then conceptualize an advanced hardware device, develop a business model and pitch it "Shark Tank" style to a three-person panel of education and industry experts. Concepts included PredPrev, a drug detecting straw to prevent sexual assault; Sleepy Time Snuggles, a health monitoring pillow and blanket duo; Shooter Intruder, a shooter safety app and Keyzy Kit, a lock that aims to prevent home invasion.
"Students presented on a range of topics focused on solving real-world problems important to them," said LCCC manager of career technical pathways and programs Deanna Hersko.
The local FlexFactor competition helps to immerse middle and high school students into the world of advanced manufacturing technology and entrepreneurship, and give them a broader picture of how people can work together as a community to create positive inventions.
Students went to UH St. John Medical Center for their industry day experience where they met with the hospital's president to discuss technical career pathways in healthcare, learned about advanced technologies used in the Operating Room, Pharmacy and Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology areas. They were mentored on their projects by hospital administrators and physicians in residency programs.
"I've really become aware of the way issues affect people and how individual people or groups can help everyone," said Helena Collins, 14, of Elyria, who worked on the drug detecting straw. "Everyone worked together and creativity was just thriving. It's the snowball effect of so many things coming together."
The top-rated team, PredPrev, will compete in the Lorain County FlexFactor finals held on May 4 and 7 at LCCC.
FlexFactor is sponsored by NextFlex, a flexible hybrid electronics company, and connects students directly to real-world experiences that help them develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully transition from high school into employment, enlistment or post-secondary education pathways.
Lorain County FlexFactor at LCCC became the first national adopter of the FlexFactor program in 2018. This year more than 350 9th-12th graders are participating in the six-week long FlexFactor experience with several school districts exploring one-day events with their middle school students.
Lorain County Early College High School allows students beginning ninth grade to participate in a combined high school and college experience with the goal of earning a high school diploma and college associate degree at the same time. All courses are taught on the LCCC campus tuition free.
For more information, visit www.lorainccc.edu/flexfactor or contact Deanne Strauss Hersko at [email protected].