Students Win Regional Award for 'Recharge Roadways'

LAND O’ LAKES, FL – Colby Tomasello and Clay Kennedy had a vision of our roads would look like in 20 years – and won a regional competition for their efforts.

The Land O’ Lakes High School ninth-graders, along with their teammate Joshua Burke from Jesuit High School in Tampa, won the Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Regional Award for their “Recharge Roadways” proposed prototype. Out of more than 5,000 entries, only 24 teams were regional award winners.

ExploraVision, which has been around since 1992, is a science competition for children from kindergarten to 12th grade that challenges participants to pick a current technology, research it, envision what it might look like in 20 years, and describe the development steps, pros and cons, and obstacles. Teams of two to four and a teacher sponsor will guide the teams as they simulate real research and development.

The winning team was coached by Land O’ Lakes High School teacher Victoria Savosh and was mentored by Heather Tomasello, Colby’s mother.

Tomasello, Kennedy and Burke presented “Recharge Roadways” as a renewable energy resource for electric vehicles. Their proposal repurposes roads to function as a continuous recharging mechanism and developed a vehicle and roadway prototype. At the event, representatives from Toshiba predicted “Recharge Roadways” would be a real possibility for the future of transportation.

Bob Greenhalgh, Toshiba USA Business Solutions president, presented each team’s members, teacher and mentor with a Toshiba 8GB Excite tablet and a framed certificate. He also presented Principal Ric Mellin with a plaque and a Toshiba laptop, which will be used as a student station in Savosh’s classroom.

As a regional award winner, the team will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C. They will compete for first prize, which includes a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense paid invitation to the Toshiba/NTSA ExploraVision Awards Ceremony Weekend in Washington, D.C., for each student.

Images courtesy of Pasco County Schools

Sign up for the Land O’ Lakes Patch newsletter and alerts!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, too!