PULLMAN, Wash. -- A team from Tacoma School of the Arts won the grand prize at the second Imagine Tomorrow event held over the weekend at the Pullman campus of Washington State University.
For winning the competition, the five Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) students received $5,000 each and $5,000 for their school.
The team -- Jake Stortini, Isaac Solverson, Mac Tadie, Joe Holcomb and Logan Jones -- met during the summer and throughout the year to plan and teach a research-based curriculum on environmental awareness and sustainability to eighth grade students at Mason Middle School. The students developed a mentoring relationship with the Mason students in Brent Beckstead’s sciences classes on Friday mornings, during a time set aside for group projects at Tacoma SOTA.
Sponsored by more than 35 corporate, educational and scientific organizations, including Bank of America, The Boeing Company, BP Cherry Point Refinery and Weyerhaeuser, the Imagine Tomorrow event challenged nearly 350 students from 38 high schools to find new ways to shift behavior, utilize technologies and apply design to address pressing energy and sustainability issues. Teams competed for more than $100,000 in prize money.
"The student enthusiasm just blew me away,” said David Bahr, a WSU professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. "It’s good to see students thinking critically, taking on big problems and feeling excited and empowered.”