Featured STEM Team

We are C.A.T.S!
Competing Achieving Terrific Scouts

     Our team consists of six girls.  We are Girls Scouts from Edmond, OK between the ages of eight and ten.  This years FLL theme is Food Factor.  The project challenge this year is about food safety.  The food safety problem our team decided to solve was how to avoid drinking spoiled milk. 

     Our research told us that milk would spoil when it gets too hot. To stay fresh, milk needs to be between 34 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit.  We spoke to a chemist who explained that when milk is spoiled it becomes more acidic.  Meaning, the pH is 7.4 or less.  He also mentioned that Polymer is a pH sensitive paper and that would work best.  We did research on the internet and found that polymer strips are available today.  Our idea was to place a plastic polymer strip in a milk carton to measure the amount of acidity (level of pH) in the milk.  Once the Polymer strip is exposed to the milk in the carton, the strip will change color.  When the strip is light pink, the milk is good.  When the strip is bright red, the milk is spoiled. 

     To use the strip, our team came up with a machine called the milk-o-matic. The milk-o-matic is a refrigerated vending machine that sorts out good milk from bad milk.  The milk-o-matic has a robotic eye and a robotic arm. When you choose a button from the panel of the vending machine, the robotic arm will select the milk.  The side of the milk carton with the Polymer strip will face the robotic eye. The robotic eye will look at the strip and if the strip is red, the robotic arm will throw the carton of milk in the trash.  If the strip is light pink, the robotic arm will dispense the milk to the consumer. 

What are the uses of the milk-o-matic machine?

1. The machine will always give you good milk.
2. It will help people who are not paying enough attention to
    look at the strip.
3. Color would be confusing for small kids.
4. It helps people/students who are colorblind and cannot tell
    the difference between colors.
5. It saves time for the workers in the lunchroom as the
    machine takes care of the bad milk.
6. In the lunchroom, kids are talking and are distracted and
    forget to look at the sticker.
7. It is cool to see the inner workings of the milk machine. 
    The machine will also attract and encourage the
    people/students who do not like milk.

C.A.T.S placed 3^rd out of 24 teams in the OKC qualifying tournament.  They now move on to the State FLL tournament on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at Edmond Santa Fe High School. Cheer them on and see what First Lego League robotics is all about!