Safe-D Researcher, Reg Viray (VTTI) took part as a volunteer judge in two student technology competition events hosted by Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
The first event, the Cyber Innovation Practice Round took place on April 25th, 2019 at the Advanced Technology Center. This event had the students focused on helping the City of Virginia Beach improve the experience of visitors during the summer season. Students were asked to utilize a Raspberry Pi, sensors and available craft supplies to improve visitor experiences in one of four categories: Safety, Transportation, Entertainment and Accommodations.
Over 30 student teams participated and were judged on the criteria of: relevancy of solution offered, functionality of solution, real world applicability, depth of complexity and creativity. Solutions provided by student teams ranged from advanced proficient, proficient, developing proficient and novice. During the judging period, Mr. Viray provided verbal and written feedback on the value their solutions while also challenging the students to think about how their designs can be enhanced if given another chance.
The second event, the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Trifecta took place on June 6th, 2019 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. This event was much larger than the first and also student competitions related to Cyber Security, Robotics and 3D Printing. For this final event, the Mr. Viray again focused the Cyber Innovation piece that required students utilized Raspberry Pi, sensors and craft supplies. For this round, the problem statement shifted to focus on the Port of Virginia who wants to improve the experience for vendors and marine traffic through their terminals with a focus on deploying technology solutions to address Safety, Transportation, and Security.