Students from John Glenn High School are among 20 teams participating in the 2023-24
A.H. Nickless Innovation Award competition later this month.
The 20 teams come from eight high schools in Bay, Midland, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties.
On Sat., April 20 the teams will compete in Saginaw Valley State University’s Gilbertson Hall. The competition, which is open to the public, begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. Admission is free.
At the end of the day, the students on the three winning teams will walk away with a share of up to $42,500 in scholarships for themselves and a share of $35,000 in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education grants for their schools.
The Nickless Innovation Award is an annual competition for high school students between 13 and 18 years old. Its goal is to inspire passion for STEM subjects.
During the competition, the students are challenged to work together as they develop innovative solutions to world problems. Topics typically include alternative energy, health care, science, and technology.
Students in the April competition have already advanced through two phases of the competition.
Last fall, each team identified a problem and submitted a two-page proposal for a project to address it. Each team that advanced to Phase Two received a $1,000 grant to research and develop a viable solution.
Those solutions were submitted in late March. During the competition at SVSU, each team delivers a 10-minute presentation about their solution to a panel of judges.
This year marks the 11th year of the A.H. Nickless Innovation Award. Since the first competition in 2013-14, more than $640,000 has been awarded to participants and their schools.
Other high schools in the SVSU competition include:
- Bullock Creek, Herbert Henry Dow, and Midland high schools from Midland County.
- Frankenmuth, Freeland, Nouvel Catholic Central high schools, and the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy from Saginaw County.
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