Spotlight on the Seventh Grade, Northwest Regional First Place Team: Wavemasters

Three seventh graders, one from Veneta Elementary School and two from Fern Ridge Middle School in Veneta, Ore., received a regional first-place award in this year’s national eCYBERMISSION competition. With this award, each team member will receive a $3,000 U.S. EE Savings Bond, a certificate of recognition from the U.S. Army and an expenses-paid trip to the National Judging and Education Event in Baltimore, Md., in June to present their final projects.

The “Wavemasters” team, comprised of students Connor Magid, Tucker Barnes and Steven Parker, and led by Team Advisor Scottie Barnes, was recognized by judges for its investigation into harnessing wave power and converting it into electricity.

The team found they could utilize the science of converting potential energy into kinetic energy by creating a device consisting of a buoy that rides on waves, tethered to a copper coil and magnet array mounted on a simulated seafloor below. The students found that the vertical motion of the waves would pull the magnet past the copper coil and generate an electric current.

The students believe that if such a process was upgraded, similar devices could generate vast amounts of electricity. In addition, the team theorized that by putting the coil/magnet array on the sea floor, a more durable, survivable energy generator could be developed that would be a more survivable energy generator than those currently proposed by developers.

To view a full list of the 2009-2010 eCYBERMISSION regional winning teams, click here.