Fox Chapel Area students earn high rankings in Governor's STEM competition

Fox Chapel Area High School teacher Lisa Gibson never fails to be inspired by her students’ creativity.

The gifted support facilitator said the teens’ solutions to modern-day dilemmas are innovative and capable.

Most recently, a team of her students was named runner-up in the ninth annual state Department of Education Governor’s STEM competition.

Team members senior Janise Kim, juniors Prajval Sreenivas and Ananth Kashyap and freshmen Alex Kim and Swati Mylarappa developed a product called MOOD, a low-cost, artificial intelligence-driven psychotherapy assistant that addresses the real-time needs of people struggling with mental health issues.

“I am so proud of the students who enter this competition each year,” Gibson said, adding that the process teaches each student how to rely on teamwork and also highlights each person’s unique strengths.

The project, MOOD, bridges the gap between patients and medical professionals by remotely establishing a reliable path of communication. A wearable device measures the user’s health-related information and relays the data by mobile app to the physician.

Sreenivas said the project helps shine a light on mental health battles.

“The scope of our project is significant, and we are excited to discuss possibilities for implementation,” Sreenivas said. “Looking at the metrics for Pennsylvania alone, we found the necessity for stronger connections between individuals who are handling mental health conditions and professionals who can best assist them.”

The competition requires teams to work with a member of the local community, a business or an educational entity to develop practical resolutions. District students worked with experts in the mental health field from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and UPMC Health Plan.

In all, 54 teams of high school students from across the state competed in the Governor’s STEM contest to research, design and present a project that would make quality of life better by accomplishing practical tasks to solve real-world problems. The theme of the contest was Improving Pennsylvania Through STEM.

“STEM education bridges the gap between today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce and provides them with the critical skills they’ll need for the careers of the future,” said Gov. Tom Wolf.

Freshman Alex Kim said helping to develop a potential tool for people in need was exciting.

“I learned a few things about the dangers of mental health issues while researching for the project,” Kim said. “For my first time competing in something like this, I am happy with the results of our project and how well it did.”

The team will receive a trophy to display at school.