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Wednesday, March 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Teens’ science project eards scholarship
By Steve Kadel
Correspondent
A private school student
and an online student have
teamed up to finish second
in regional competition in the
Central Oregon Community
College Regional Science
Expo in Bend.
Spencer Bordonaro, who
studies online through Baker
Web Academy, and Redmond
Proficiency Academy’s David
Novotny earned runner-up
honors Friday, March 10, at
COCC in Bend.
Both boys won a $2,000
scholarship to Oregon State
University for the show-
ing. They’ll compete for the
state title at Portland State
University on April 8, when
400 contestants are expected.
They entered the engi-
neering and math category in
Bend, constructing what they
call “Eco-Spin”—a device
that produces electricity by
pedaling. It also has a table for
study or other activities while
exercising, and the power
generated can illuminate a
light and charge a phone bat-
tery simultaneously.
Novotny noted there are
similar fitness machines, such
as stationary bicycles, but
said, “Our device is better
because you can be doing two
things at once.”
“It’s super-easy to pedal,”
Bordonaro added.
The Sisters residents are
16-year-old sophomores who
hold grade-point averages
above 4.0. Bordonaro is the
son of Erin Bordonaro, and
Novotny is the son of Jana
and Jirka Novotny.
The two inventors are old
hands at science contests.
They’ve competed through
the Bend Research Center
for years, with Novotny once
grabbing a first-place finish.
Both are avid students, too.
“I got into chemistry
recently and that’s what is
driving me now,” Novotny
said.
“I’m really into engineer-
ing,” Bordonaro said. “I like
math and science.”
When not in class, the two
can usually be found design-
ing some kind of project just
for fun.
“We did rockets,” Novotny
said. “We’re still trying to get
them off the ground.”
They also enjoy rock
climbing, utilizing an indoor
climbing gym in Bend during
the winter, with plans to climb
at Smith Rock State Park.
In an abstract written about
the project, they said, “The
Eco-Spin is a device that takes
power from a human and
transforms it into electricity.
Our goal for this design is to
create a simple and compact
system that maximizes the
energy produced.
“The Eco-Spin is useful
because it is a stand-alone unit
that can be easily transported
to a city that has lost power
or a small village without
access to the power grid. The
straightforward design makes
it easy to troubleshoot.”
One judge said the bike and
desk combination might be
useful at remote military bases
with power needs, Novotny
noted. But despite receiving
encouraging reviews from
judges, the Sisters team has no
goal of producing and market-
ing its product.
“It’s just a fun project,”
Novotny said.
PHOTO BY STEVE KADEL
David Novotny, left, and Spencer Bordonaro of Sisters finished second in a
regional science expo in Bend for their Eco-Spin project.
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