Palestine Students Win UT Tyler East Texas High School Idea Challenge
May 20, 2019
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
Palestine Students Win UT Tyler East Texas High School Idea Challenge
Follow @UTTyler TweetMay 20, 2019
Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Senior Director of Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303
The University of Texas at Tyler announced today that two students from The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy Palestine won the inaugural East Texas High School Idea Challenge, hosted by the University for students in grades 9 - 12.
High schools across East Texas were invited to participate in the tournament-style event, which challenged students to come up with innovative solutions for problems or start-up ideas for untapped markets. Nine teams participated in the competition, held Friday in the Soules College of Business.
"The East Texas High School Idea Challenge showcased the innovative talents of high school students in the region,'' said Dr. Laura Jackson, assistant vice president for government and community affairs. "The ultimate goal is to encourage and support the next generation of East Texas inventors and entrepreneurs.''
The Simple Mechanics team, consisting of seniors Weston Davis and Austin McQueen from the UT Tyler University Academy in Palestine, won first place for a device designed to reduce essential tremors. The team was awarded $2,500 for their school, and each team member received a $5,000 scholarship to attend UT Tyler.
The other finalists were Raven Fritz, Jody Hill, Shelby Woods, Justiss Ross and Kendall Sloan, Kilgore High School; Skye Davis, Kaylynn Manley and Trinity Gleason, University Academy Palestine; and Michael Spurgeon, Mateo Renaud and Emmitt Brown, Mineola High School.
The competition was held in two rounds, with teams submitting videos of their elevator pitches during the first round. A panel of judges selected top teams from the first round to prepare launch plans for presentation during the final round.
The East Texas Idea Challenge will be held annually. Submission for the 2020 competition will begin in October 2019. For more information visit: uttyler.edu/idea-challenge.
A member of the prestigious UT System, The University of Texas at Tyler focuses on student success and innovative research in the more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered. With more than 10,000 students, UT Tyler has facilities in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.