Tucker Middle School students win award for anti-human trafficking device
TUCKER, Ga. - Students at Tucker Middle School have won another $15,000 prize for their efforts to fight against human trafficking.
The middle school students were named the Community Choice Award Winners in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, which encourages students to solve real-world issues using STEM.
The team learned of their award Tuesday night during a livestream that caught their shocked faces when the results were announced.
The eighth-grade students of STEM instructor Nathan Williams's class created an innovative silent alarm that could be placed like a fire alarm in airplane bathrooms. If a victim of human trafficking triggers the alarm, it alerts flight attendants, pilots, and the authorities.
The device also releases an adhesive for the victim to inconspicuously wear so that they can be tracked after getting off the plane.
Williams says one of his students came up with the idea, but each of them helped put the plan together to make it a success.
"Seeing all the people on social media talk about their experiences with sexual assault and human trafficking, it made me realize this situation needs more attention than it's getting," student Kayla Armstrong said. "I wanted to bring more attention to this problem in our community.
As part of their research, the team met with officials at the Office of Homeland Security and discovered the shocking fact that an average of over 300 women are trafficked in Georgia a month.
The team also worked with Georgia Tech professors who taught them about wearable technology to make their plan something that could work in the real world.
The students had already won $65,000 for their school after they were named national finalists.
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