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2013 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
UPDATE, May 27, 2014: IMACS student, Peyton Robertson, impressed President Barack Obama at today’s fourth annual White House Science Fair. Watch Peyton with President Obama starting around the 4:35 mark of this video.
UPDATE, October 9, 2013: Congratulations to IMACS student, Peyton Robertson, on winning the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist,” $25,000 and a trip to Costa Rica! Watch Peyton’s winning moment.
From the moment you meet IMACS student, Peyton Robertson, you can’t help feeling that he is one of those bright, young people who is going to leave his mark on the world in a big way. His creative ideas and energy seem boundless. His smile and enthusiasm are infectious. And he’s just 11 years old!
Most recently, Peyton entered the 2013 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and is one of only 10 finalists (and the youngest) in this prestigious national science competition for 5th through 8th graders. The Young Scientist Challenge encourages students to explore science and innovation during the pre-teen years when interest in math and science typically starts to decline.
Peyton’s project, SOS: Sandless Operational Sandbags, focuses on developing a more effective and less costly sandbag design to protect against damage from saltwater flooding. As Peyton notes in his finalist video, 80% of the $43 billion dollars worth of flood damage caused since 2005 has been from saltwater flooding. Peyton’s native Florida is at risk for hurricane-driven saltwater flooding every year. So he’s decided to do something about it by re-engineering the basic tool of flood control: the sandbag.
The design of traditional sand-filled sandbags means that they are heavy, difficult to transport and, when stacked, leave gaps through which water readily flows. Peyton’s design uses a thin, expandable polymer to keep his bags light and easy to transport. He also pre-fills his bags with enough salt so that when it dissolves, the salt content of the solution inside is higher than that of seawater, helping to keep the seawater from penetrating the bags. Finally, Peyton uses an ingenious interlocking design to minimize the gaps between the bags when they swell. When the water recedes and the bags dry out, they return to their thin, easily transported and stored form, ready for use during the next storm.
IMACS is so proud of Peyton and delighted to count him as one of our many exceptional students. When we asked Peyton’s mom, Shannon Robertson, to describe the influence that IMACS has had on his education, this is what she had to say:
“I’ll never forget our first encounter with IMACS. My son, who was three at the time, was with me at a school activities fair. He had a strong aptitude for math, so I wanted to learn more about the IMACS program. I immediately loved their focus on math and logic education. Even though we were not able to immediately enroll in the program, IMACS counseled us and gave us outstanding advice on other programs for gifted students.
Today, my son has been a part of IMACS for four years and frequently comments on how IMACS has helped him solve word problems or logic puzzles at school. IMACS fills in many of the gaps that exist in his school-based math curriculum and has given him a deeper understanding of the math that he has learned independently.
My twin girls are also in IMACS. We wanted to establish a strong foundation in logical thinking for them at an early age. After just a few months, we saw a leap forward in their math skills and critical thinking.
All three of our children look forward to their IMACS class time and dive into the supporting assignments after class. IMACS creates a uniquely fun and challenging experience for gifted students through their innovative curriculum and supportive staff. It has been an essential component of the education program for our children.”
Congratulations, Peyton! Your friends at IMACS wish you the best in the finals of the 2013 Young Scientist Challenge.
Excellent! Congratulations Peyton!
This young man is so very impressive. Congrats to IMACs for giving him such a strong start in math.
Saw this young man give an amazing presentation at the Museum of Discovery & Science last week. IMACS gave him a great start as he was terrific! He spoke about science and new technology for 45 minutes and it was enthralling. He’s going to do something great down the road.
I saw Peyton Robertson and Clint Eastwood win $200,000 for science and math charities live at the AT&T Pebble Beach PGA event here in Monterey! IMACS must have given Peyton an amazing start
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9rIojp3rq8