A team of three Lower Dauphin High School students was recently named third runner-up in the ninth annual Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Competition.

Senior Lucian Martir and sophomores Braylee Klinger and Jyllian Garman represented the school in Division 2, which was for teams with a majority of new members. They are advised by Beth Kirman, high school science teacher.

During the school year, teams of students designed and built solutions to real-world problems. Teams were required to work with a member of their local community, a business, or an educational entity to help create an authentic experience while also providing opportunities to learn more about careers in STEM. The Lower Dauphin project was the AquaFilter, a nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment filtration system. Developed to address the surface water run-off problem in Pennsylvania, the AquaFilter can be attached to storm drain exit points to filter accumulating pollutants before they enter the river system. The students used computer-aided design software to create the design for the AquaFilter and 3D printers and other materials to construct their prototype.

The team members worked with field expert Shirley Clark, a professor of environmental engineering in the School of Science, Engineering, and Technology at Penn State Harrisburg, to create their prototype. They also had to write a research paper about the problem the AquaFilter was designed to solve.

Downingtown STEM Academy was Division 2 grand champion. Haverford High School was first runner-up, and the Technical College High School at Pennock's Bridge was second runner-up.