N.H. students win with water robot

Students in the robotics club at Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook got some exciting news April 19. A turtle-shaped water-cleaning robot they built for Samsung’s “Solve for Tomorrow” competition advanced to the final stage of the contest, which means they will pitch their idea next month to a panel of judges in Washington, D.C.

As one of the 10 national finalists, the school will receive a prize package of $50,000 in Samsung technology and supplies. That amount will double if the students’ pitch on May 15 persuades the panel to pick their innovation as one of three national winners.

Jeff Dutton, who teaches physics, engineering, and robotics at Merrimack Valley High, said he knew his students would perform well in the competition, though he wasn’t sure exactly how far their entry might go.

“I was pretty sure they were going to win the state,” he said, “but I’m definitely pleasantly surprised that we have made it to national finalists.”

Dutton said the prize will be used to update classroom technology and stock up on parts for a robot that students will build in the next couple of years.

The point of the competition is to challenge students to use their STEM skills to make positive change in their communities. While finalists from other states sought to reduce food waste, help unhoused refugees, and improve subway safety, the finalist team from New Hampshire focused on water quality.

RaeAnna DeVone, a 17-yearold senior, said the idea for the turtle-shaped robot — affectionately known as “Shelby” — came from research about the Merrimack River, which runs through Penacook.

She and her peers learned that high phosphorus levels in the river can cause algae blooms that affect an entire aquatic ecosystem. So they researched the problem, interviewed an expert from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and prototyped a potential solution: a battery-powered robot that blends in with its surroundings and uses filters to combat rising phosphorus levels. They made a video explaining their process.

DeVone said the competition offered a welcome chance to collaborate with her peers after years of disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also helped her home in on a potential career path.

“It’s really helping me determine that this is what I want to do in the future,” said DeVone, who’s headed to Southern New Hampshire University this fall to study biology. “It was a good way to kind of – no pun intended – dip my toes in the water.”

DeVone said she’ll intern this summer with the DES expert, to test phosphorus levels and research plant life in and around New Hampshire’s bodies of water.

Whoever gets the most votes among the nine finalists in an online vote on will receive an additional $10,000 in prizes.