1/31-2/1: Colfax High School (Colfax, CA)

Project: Storm-drain waste remover

Colfax is a small town about one hour northwest of Sacramento, CA.

Jonathan Schwartz, the InvenTeams teacher was kind enough to host me at his family's house.

I sat-in on a number of Jonathan's math classes and fielded questions on Lemelson and MIT. Jonathan has a unique set-up for a math teacher -- his class (essentially a classroom/computer lab) is attached to a large wood shop -- and is probably ideal for an InvenTeams project.

Colfax HS InvenTeam students and Josh
Originally uploaded by Joshua Schuler.

The Colfax HS InvenTeam is a small and talented group -- all boys.They have an early wood prototype of their device that performs some of the desired tasks (see photo). A recent issue the team confronted was how to power the conveyor that brings refuse from the drain screen to the attached garbage can...the students think that hydro-power might work!

Colfax HS InvenTeam's early prototype storm-drain waste remover
Originally uploaded by Joshua Schuler.

The students are eager to introduce new elements from their many design ideas and test/experiment with physical models. The team was featured on the local news (KCRA Channel 3) last December and is working with local/regional water authorities.

Jonathan has invited Mrs. Lemelson (Incline Village is about one hour from Colfax) to visit his school.