Warren High team wins engineering grand prize

DOWNEY - A Warren High School engineering team came home with a grand prize - and $10,000 - after competing in the 2013 Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge at the NASA Johnson flight Center in Houston last week.Team M3 included students Mulan MacDougall, Matt Pacheco and Michelle Tulean. They traveled to the competition with engineering teacher Glenn Yamasaki to showcase their product known as the Sleep Halo, an adjustable headrest for airline seats. The Wall Street Journal spoke highly of the product, calling it "a low tech, but highly innovative product that has the potential to revolutionize the air travel industry. Teams from around the world participated in the competition, including teams from Shanghai and Singapore. The Warren High team won the grand prize in the category for aerospace and aviation. It was presented by Alan Bean, an Apollo 12 astronaut and fourth man to walk on the moon. They also won the People's Choice Award for their online product video that generated 1,638 votes. "The competition was extremely tough and showcased many students' design talents...," Warren High principal John Harris said in a statement. "Downey Unified School District engineering students continue to prove that they can compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime and continue to do well." Team M3 also thanked Matt Knox of StormForce Marketing, Chris Tassos of Preferred Impressions and Scott Yamasaki of Zodiac Aerospace "for their invaluable help and input during the design process of the Sleep Halo."

********** Published: April 18, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 01