It was an exciting day for many Grain Valley High School (GVHS) seniors as they attended the KC STEM Alliance Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Senior Showcase to highlight the culmination of their high school careers.

As freshmen, GVHS students have the opportunity to enroll in several different PLTW programs. These programs consist of a sequence of courses throughout high school that introduce students to various professional pathways. During their senior year, those enrolled in PLTW Biomedical Science and PLTW Engineering attend the PLTW Senior Showcase. This year, the showcase was held at the National WW1 Museum in Kansas City. Hundreds of students from school districts around the metro were in attendance to present their projects. 

Students who were in the Biomedical Science program, were tasked with a capstone research project. The students were given creative control on what their research project would cover. Students covered topics such as the effect of Red 40 Food Dye on Brine Shrimp, the effect of different temperatures on viral growth, and many more. 

Lucus Jurgenmeyer and his partner Hunter Nally studied the effects of taurine on C. elegans glial cell function—essentially asking: Does the taurine in energy drinks actually benefit cell function? Taurine is a popular amino acid added to energy drinks to support neurological development, eye health, heart function, and hydration.

“We have been working on these projects for the last six months.” Said Senior Lucus Jurgenmeyer, “We were allowed to dive into what we wanted in different research areas, and narrow down what we wanted to do.” Lucus continued, “At the end, we landed on energy drinks, because of how much we see it in our day to day lives.” 

Lucas and Hunter learned a lot throughout this process that went far beyond the biomedical world. “I am going into nursing, and knowing lab techniques and writing my own experiments, that is something I guarantee I will use when I go to college,” said Hunter Nally, “It is also getting my public speaking skills to a new level; it's great for interview prep.”

For the Engineering students, this was a chance to showcase a project that they have been working on the entire school year. The projects are presented to judges. 

Ashley McMurry originally enrolled in the PLTW Engineering because she wanted to take an architecture course offered through the program. “In eighth grade, I really wanted to do architecture; I really liked buildings in general,” she noted. After exploring different engineering courses, she realized she preferred engineering to architecture, and now plans to major in Industrial Engineering.  

Ashley and her partner Laurel Reece were tasked with taking one problem, finding one solution and presenting to the judges at the senior showcase. “We have been working on this the entire year.” They created “Airby,” a robot that filters air similarly to how a robot vacuum cleans floors. While Airby is currently remote-controlled, the seniors plan to eventually transition those controls to a mobile app. 

The pair previously competed with “Airby” in a fall “Make48” competition where they took third. At the PLTW Showcase, Ashley and Laurel were awarded one of ten STEM Innovator Awards! 

Grain Valley High School finished the day with one Top 10 Project, one STEM Innovator Award Recipient, and three Make It REAL Scholarship finalists. 

GVHS Achievements: 

• Make it REAL Scholarship Finalists: Three GVHS students were selected in the top 20 finalists. There were 99 submissions for this scholarship. The three GVHS top 20 finalists include: 
  • Alayna Maybell 
  • Ashley McMurray 
  • Kalli Beard 
• Top 10 Project in Engineering 
  • SolarGuard 
    • Zachary Bleess
    • Dylan Rucinski
    • Elizabeth Martin