STEM-In-Action Fall Follow Up: The Resourceful Rookies

Welcome back to the second installment of our STEM-In-Action Fall Follow Up. As a reminder, the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) awards STEM-In-Action Grants of up to $5,000 to eCYBERMISSION National Finalist or Regional Winning teams that wish to further develop and implement their projects in their communities. Today, we're catching up with team The Resourceful Rookies to see what progress they've made since NJ&EE!
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We are the Resourceful Rookies from Christ Prince of Peace school in St. Louis, Missouri. Our team is a group of seventh graders made up of Aubrey Davis, Josh Diehl, and Kyle Newman.

Resourceful Rookies member designing their product using TinkerCAD

As part of our science class, we are required to do eCYBERMISSION and we got paired up as a team together. We came up with our idea because our teammate, Josh, has a sister who has needed multiple surgeries to her ankles and knees since she was little. She didn't want to use a walker during her recovery even though that would have been the safest option because she said she looked like an old person when using it. We learned that there are over 3,000 kids injured each year who are on mobility devices. We then came up with an idea to design snap on kits for walkers that are fun, motivational, and non-stigmatizing.

A zebra-themed walker using the team's kit

Our idea is mainly made up of 3D printed snap on pieces. These pieces are small and can snap on to any standard Zimmer frame walker. We also 3D printed a phone holder and a water bottle holder that can snap on to the walker. While we were brainstorming, we thought it would be a good idea to make a sling that students can hang over their desk and rest their foot on. This sling attaches to the front of the walker where it can easily be carried around. The pieces can also be printed a certain color to match a theme and the phone holder, cup holder, and sling can have a design on them.

New foot slings for the kit in progress

All of the pieces and accessories are able to fit in a small bag to make a kit. Each kit also comes with a set of instructions to show how to put everything on correctly. We have taken into account the different walker sizes so each kit will have some extra pieces.

With the STEM-In-Action Grant, we plan to buy a 3D printer and all necessary supplies to make 30 more of our walker kits. We will distribute these kits out to people that need them such as physical therapist offices and children’s hospitals.

3D printing the pieces

We hope to put a smile on kids’ faces after surgery with these fun kits and make using a walker a little less embarrassing.

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The Resourceful Rookies are a wonderful example of a team looking into their own lives and deciding to take on a problem affecting someone they love. We are so proud of their passion, and excited to see them continue to make a difference!

Registration for this year's eCYBERMISSION competition is ongoing. Register today at www.ecybermission.com/register!

Faith Benner

AEOP Senior Communications and Marketing Specalist