Tucumcari repeats STEM Challenge win

For the third straight year, Tucumcari High School was among the winners of the New Mexico Governor's STEM Challenge.

The THS team, which proposed a system for Native Americans to have better internet access, was among 40 that received $500 prize from one of the contest sponsors, Intel. The Tucumcari team's sponsors and mentors are Tommy and Morisa Evans.

"The students had to overcome a bit of adversity since they prepared their speech expecting everyone to be there," Tommy Evans stated in an email. "The six that presented had to memorize the students that did not attend portions of the presentation over night. Some came down with the flu, and one had strep throat."

The STEM Challenge question was: "Now that we live in a post-pandemic world, how can we improve overall mental, physical, or relational health and wellness in our homes, schools, and communities through the use of science, technology, engineering and math?"

According to an executive summary of the THS team's project, tribal members could use Raspberry Pi computer units to transmit and receive internet data via television antennas.

"With our current setup, each home would have a datacasting system, and a mail truck would house the Raspberry Pi," the team's summary stated. "When someone would like to send a message, they would send an email to their intended recipient. When the mail truck drove by, the Raspberry Pi would pick up and hold this information, and send it to the proper recipient when in range of internet connection."

Testing showed that files could be transmitted about 200 feet from a home to the truck.

The cost of the of the datacasting units were about $30 each, and the Raspberry Pi units about $120 each. Costs would be considerably lower if the equipment were purchased on a large scale.

"With the help of datacasting units, our device is capable of creating a two-way communication pathway that will provide a means for the Native Americans to communicate without internet access," the team's proposal stated. "This will increase the Native American presence in our current online community and lead to further innovations in this space."

Internet access long has been a problem in tribal lands, where it often is described as "minimally acceptable." New Mexico has a large Native American population.

"These projects addressed a wide array of problems and challenges that our teens face both in New Mexico and in the world, said Tony Fox, interim president and CEO of the LANL Foundation, in a news release. "The solutions they presented addressed issues ranging from gun violence and addiction, to loneliness and anxiety, to clean air and water."