St. Louis, Missouri
Age 13 at the time of innovation.
Achievement: Dissolved foam cups and made a super sticky glue
Sometimes science investigations can be surprising.
Christina and her “Blockheads” team from Girl Scout Troop 1484 had a challenge: they wanted to solve an environmental problem as part of a First Lego League (FLL) competition. When they learned that a nearby nursing home used about 20,000 foam cups a month, they went into action to keep polystyrene and Styrofoam® products out of landfills.
Christina and her team created the EcoBin—a metal bin containing a nontoxic substance that dissolves polystyrene when mixed with water. What surprised them was the mixture turned into a gooey substance that is a super strong glue. The girls are bottling the glue for sale and now have a provisional patent on their EcoGloo adhesive.
And how did they do in the FLL competition? They won first place!
Listen to Christina’s featured news story here: