NEW! Student Feature Up & Coming Engineer

Meet Alexis Savage

By Howard Bussey and Harold Clark

When you were a student, did you ever dream about creating an invention that would solve a vital problem? Alexis Savage, then a 9th grader in Rush-Henrietta High School, did just that when she set out to design and build a “Self-Sufficient Early Warning Fire Detection System”! Envisioning a small, inexpensive device that could sit at a high point in a forest, measure temperatures, and remotely send that data and pictures of the surrounding landscape back to a ranger, Alexia set out to teach herself everything she would need to know, from coding to 3D-printing to circuit design.

Alexis entered her invention in the 2021 Terra Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair (TRFSEF), where her work earned her a Grand Award of competing in the 2021 Genius Olympiad (www.geniusolympiad.org). She also won the Special Award for Women in Technology Award from Eagleview Technologies, a provider of aerial imagery, data analytics and geographic information system solutions with operations in Rochester (www.eagleview.com).

Her biggest challenge in the project was the software. She first approached this with an Arduino board, but the limitations of the Arduino system and the complexities of C++ software development propelled her to the Python/Raspberry Pi systems. System economics also presents challenges: for instance, each assembly should be inexpensive enough to be widely deployed, and, when necessary, easily replaced. Prior to starting on her project, Alexis surveyed products in the area, and chose a niche not occupied in the space of commerciallyavailable systems.

Working with only occasional guidance from her father, Alexis has integrated the processor, the camera, and the PyJuice Hat (an uninterruptible power supply) and started the software development. The assembly is shown in Figure 2. She also used 3-D modeling and design software to create a case, which was 3-D printed for her project as shown in Figure 3. Her latest improvement has been adding a solar panel to charge the batteries, so the system can be truly self-sufficient.

Alexis realizes there is plenty more work to be done. Data communication software remains a challenge to allow the self-sufficient fire detection assemblies to use the image processing system to detect smoke and flame. Future challenges include night-time smoke detection, data communication in wilderness environments, and 360 degree surveillance with a single assembly. She continues to tackle each issue as it comes up, exploring the internet for information and guidance, and plans to enter the TRFSEF in March with a model with substantially enhanced capabilities.

(Figure 2) The Raspberry Pi, Camera, and PyJuice hat components of the fire detection system.

(Figure 3) The components are mounted in the case that was 3-D printed for this project.

Alexis has had a long interest in STEM, starting with Snap Circuits kits and then advancing into engineering classes in which she was designing systems. Now a 10th grader, she wants to continue doing science fair projects and taking science, mathematics, and programming courses in her school. Ultimately Alexis is interested in pursuing aerospace engineering in her college education.

Students, such as Alexis, are entering regional science and engineering competitions, such as the Terra Rochester Finger Lake Science and Engineering Fair (www.terrafairs.org), RIT’s E3 Engineering and Technology Fair, First Robotics competitions (http://upstatenyfirst.org/programs/), and others. All of these are important paths to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.

There are many opportunities for area engineers to help -- such as working with these organizations or mentoring the student participants. If you or colleagues you know are interested, you are encouraged to contact the Rochester Engineering Society, so that you can be matched up with the opportunities to help the next generation of scientists and engineers. If you want to know more about Alexis, her project, or the Terra science fair, please contact Harold Clark, Director, TRFSEF at trfsef@terraed.org.

If you know of any students (K-12 and college) who have done outstanding engineering work that could be profiled, please let RES know by emailing us at therochesterengineer@gmail.com.

Alexis Savage