Raleigh Water teamed up with East Wake Magnet High School for “Project Invent,” giving local students the chance to test their problem-solving skills and offer solutions to challenges that professionals working within the “world of water” face today.
Each class chatted with Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant Chief Operator Blake Foster, asking everything from his favorite part of the job to hearing the daily challenges that Raleigh Water crews tackle.
Students then split into teams to identify a problem, brainstorm, design, and bring their own inventions to life. Along the way, they occasionally checked in with Foster, asking thoughtful questions. Many teams worked (and reworked!) their ideas until Demo Day.
Demo Day was the big moment giving each team the opportunity to share their inventions with panel of judges who questioned, scrutinized, and praised each project in a lively Q&A session.
A big congratulations to all the teams! Your hard work truly paid off. Shoutout to these teams for bringing home awards:
Team H2O – Explorer Award (presented to a team that prioritized learning.)
Better Pipe – Needfinder Award (presented to a team that demonstrated that they listened to their user.)
Above the Water - Product Pivot Award (presented to a team that overcame obstacles.)
After the applause, water jokes and overall excitement Foster mentioned this about the experience, “It was so refreshing seeing so many high school students being so interested in our water infrastructure. They asked a lot of good questions both about the technical side of water and questions about entering in the career of water treatment.”
Thank you to the students, Ms. Sylvestre, and Project Share for making this such a unique experience. We can’t wait to see some of these brilliant minds join us at Raleigh Water, sharing future inventions and helping shape the future of the world of water.
