Taking a win home

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
A science project making solar panels more efficient not only took NHS Junior Markie Whitney, of Newcastle, to the 2019 State Science Fair on March 2 and 3 but it also won her the first Veteran’s Science Scholarship presented by the American Legion on Jan. 30. 
The Legion presented this $500 scholarship to the science project that the organization’s three judges thought would make the most difference to the entire veteran community. The local post created the scholarship after the call came to volunteer as judges at the local science fair. 
Scholarship Committee Chairman Tom Streeter explained that the idea came to the local post to go one step above volunteering as judges by creating a unique scholarship for the science fair held at Newcastle High School. 
“One question that we asked the participants is, ‘What inspired you to do the project you chose. I love that question because you get to hear their thought process,’” said Streeter. 
He said that some of the kids were honest, stating that they only did the project to meet their class requirements. 
“Then you have Markie’s explanation, that they (her class) were in class talking about solar energy and the inefficiency of it. She thought she could do better and created a device to harness and increase the efficiency of solar panels,” Streeter said. 
Whitney later told the News Letter Journal that her project made solar panels more efficient by putting them in water and attaching heat sinks to them to draw the heat off the solar panels. 
“The water acts as a heat sink; it has an incredible ability to absorb energy and there is water everywhere,” Whitney said. “It is a really good solution to the inefficiency problem and is cheap and affordable.” 
She said that while some people have put solar panels in water, she created a system that uses aluminum fins and Peltiers that can make a current by the difference in temperatures. 
“It produces electricity from the difference in temperatures. The panel is hot and the water is cold, so it creates more voltage,” Whitney said. “Solar panels have never been used in this way, so I am applying for a patent to keep my idea my idea. It is a long process and expensive, which has delayed the process.” 
Winning a scholarship from the American Legion, in addition to qualifying for state science fair and taking first in her division at the local fair, was really an honor according to Whitney. 
“At first I didn’t know if I really qualified for it (the scholarship). As I was talking to some of the judges, it became more apparent that there is an energy problem that affects everyone,” Whitney said. “The way I applied it to the veterans’ community is that this technology could be a more efficient power source for VA hospitals, making it more affordable to go there if it is cheaper to power the facility. Veterans could get their health care cheaper.” 
According to Streeter, being relevant to the entire veteran’s community is a broad and subjective title for the scholarship. Three different judges from the Legion, including Streeter, interviewed every participant in the fair to determine which project was the best fit to win the award. 
“We had to go through every project, read the board, looked at all the notebooks and narrowed it down to a field of finalists,” Streeter said. “We had eight projects we wanted to go back and look at again.” 
The first thing the three judges looked for was how the project was relevant to the veteran community, according to Streeter, and projects meeting this requirement varied from over-the-counter medication projects to Whitney’s solar panel project. 
“It was unanimous between all three judges who should get the scholarship; the decision made itself.” Streeter said. “A lot of us rural veterans and even suburban veterans could reduce their energy costs through solar panels.”
He noted that Whitney wowed the judges with her poised and confident presentation and that the more she talked about her project, the more excited she got. 
“It was so profound that this girl could take this project and reach out and touch the greatest number of veterans of all classes,” Streeter said. “From retirees to casual veterans, the project is applicable across the board. Without a shadow of doubt, Whitney has the most applicable project to the most veterans.”
He said that the scholarship was a surprise this year, with students being unaware that the questions were coming but that the Legion plans to continue the scholarship annually. 
“We decided on a scholarship to encourage these kids to reach out and go beyond the norm. We don’t care what they do or what field they go into. We will hang their scholarship up until they need it for whatever they want to do – whether it’s trade school or a university,” Streeter said. 
Any age level of participant is eligible to win the award, according to Streeter. The money awarded will be held until the students go to college or trade school and then the money will be sent directly to the school they are attending. 
“We did put the stipulation that a student can only be awarded the scholarship once so we can reach out and help as many students as possible,” Streeter said. “Like Markie, this young lady is absolutely brilliant and it is highly likely that she would be a finalist for next year’s scholarship.” 
“But we wanted to reach out and help as many students as we can. This could make a difference in whether a young person will go to college or not,” Streeter said. “The students that lack the means, this money could make the difference in whether they do or don’t and that is why the scholarship will be paid directly to the school and not to the student. We want them to have that incentive to reach out and try.”