Saving lives, one flush at a time

By Priscilla A. Greear - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | For a national science competition, enterprising third graders Alana Fernandez and Katy Elgarresta of St. Thomas the Apostle School in South Miami brainstormed in class and on research play dates for a smarter way to go to the bathroom — and not just for more time out of the classroom.

Undeterred by the yuck factor, the junior inventors zoomed in on human excrement and envisioned a Smart Toilet and computer app to analyze it. The goal: to alert users and their doctors within minutes to any health conditions and prevent illness.

The Smart Toilet won second place in the nation for the K-3 category of the 26th annualToshiba/NSTA ExploraVision science competition, which attracted 425 Florida entries and over 4,600 in K-12 from across the United States and Canada. Other regional winners were St. Agnes Academy, Key Biscayne, and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Miami.

On June 6, Alana and Katy traveled with their teachers and parents on an expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to be recognized and each receive a $5,000 savings bond for college — plus a visit to Congress and with Bill Nye the Science Guy.

The girls imagined a device that could help sick people get faster treatment. “I feel like a better person and I feel happy,” Katy said. “It inspires me to keep doing good in science and study hard. And if you work hard good things can happen!”

Seated by a fish tank and ExploraVision banner, the cheerful prizewinners spoke one morning in the school library alongside their language arts teacher Carmen Garcia, principal Lisa Figueredo and science teacher Caridad Carbonell, who served as their mentor. Alana shared how their idea germinated from personal need.

“Why I had this idea was because my dad had cancer and he had many severe conditions and I thought of my project. If he would have gotten this design earlier he would have been able to fight it faster and he wouldn’t have been in the hospital for so long,” said Alana.

Medically minded Katy summarized their project, with both an app for adults and kids and a toilet with a sampling cup, instrument and data processor to identify factors like bacteria and parasites in stools and pH and glucose levels in urine.

 

STOOL ANALYZER

“It will analyze your urine and stool samples to see if you have any severe diseases and it will send the results to the app on your phone. The results will be sent immediately to your doctor. There’s also a kit out that will show them things kids can understand like dietary recommendations,” said Katy.

Whisking their creative juices, Garcia showed her class the ‘60s TV show “The Jetsons” to see its futuristic technology and how some has become reality. They had to create an invention using current and future technology that could be used 20 years from now. Other class projects included a couch to make life more comfortable and a safety device for those with Alzheimer’s, which garnered an honorable mention.

The STEM girls recounted how they researched a Japanese toilet being developed to analyze waste but how “the one in Japan doesn’t tell you” the data, they explained.

“They had to do a lot of research into the toilet so our most important invention we think is the actual app that is going to communicate and save the data collected,” Garcia said. “We used tech that is already available in order to create new ones and to add to it.”

The enthusiastic pupils fleshed out their plans, created an abstract and bibliography and hand-drew five webpages of the Smart Toilet experience. Alana said that they worked “more than 86 hours” including a group chat on their spring break parish music trip to France.

As regional winners they made a video — complete with Katy in a white lab coat pointing out toilet features — and created a project website with their teachers. After checking the ExploraVision website daily, they were finally summoned one glorious day to the principal’s office to learn of their national recognition. Lastly, they eagerly created a prototype of the toilet on a 3D printer and display board and sent it to Washington for the awards ceremony.

Garcia always felt the girls had a winning design. “So many people suffer from stomach issues, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer. And to have an invention that can actually diagnose you right away and tell your doctor what’s going on in your stool and urine, it taps not only the gastroenterology part but also the diabetic part,” said Garcia. “If you know you’re diabetic you know your levels of sugar are high, then you need to get help right away.”

 

STREAM PROJECT

Garcia appreciates the interdisciplinary nature of the competition. “They learned how to write and how to do a science project in a language arts class. I honestly think if every teacher could encourage their students to think and develop their thinking skills we can conquer anything.”

Figueredo said that the competition exemplifies the school’s STREAM focus on science, technology, engineering, religion and math, for which it is currently getting certified through the Florida Catholic Conference. This is the school’s third regional and first national ExploraVision recognition.

“This project is ideal for STREAM because of all the different disciplines that it encompasses. And these kids are just going to be better learners because of these types of projects and it’s something they can continue to carry out in life. They are lifelong skills,” said the proud principal.

Carbonell loves how the project challenges youngsters to develop their projects through the scientific process, give constructive criticism and collaborate like professionals. She noted sixth grade honorable mention winners for x-ray goggles to immediately detect injury on the sports field and a submarine to collect ocean trash. “It helps them to think when they have everything so accessible — you see their faces when that light bulb goes off,” she said.

Alana aspires to become an engineer, evidenced by her trip to the Frost Museum of Science. “All my cousins wanted to get something that was already invented. I wanted to get a solar kit that you could make whatever you want with.”

And her dad continues to inspire her. “Since he had so many conditions if he has any more I feel this can make him more powerful, to believe in himself.”

With doctors in her family, Katy hopes to study medicine. As for now, these STREAM girls are savoring their national recognition — despite the regrettable fact that a boys’ team beat them. They joyfully go forth with their vision for a Smart Toilet to save lives, one flush at a time.

“It’s really great because you get to help people,” said Katy before dashing off to class. “And that’s what God does,” added Alana.