CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Students at a Long Grove middle school are finalists in a national STEM competition with their idea for an app that melts ice.
The eighth graders were the only middle schoolers to win in Illinois in this stage of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition.
Science instructional coach Nicole McRee has been guiding nine Woodlawn Middle School eighth-graders as they work on the battery-powered, ice melting portable mat that would melt ice on the ground next to your car, on your driveway, or any other slippery spot. The students worked on the project during their flex time.
"Either 20 minutes or 40 minutes, depending on what else they had to do to really work on their plan, develop the idea, create the prototype vision and submit all of the proposals," she said.
Student Rafeek Cherradi said they also had to learn some of the information on their own since their classes haven't covered all of the material.
Now they're working on a video and prototype to submit next month for the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow Competition against other state winners to see if they'll come out in the top 20.
The team will go up against students from 100 schools across the country for the next round.
