EDITORIALS

The city of Salem should collaborate with South High students on drone technology

Carol McAlice Currie
Statesman Journal

Thank heavens a trio of South Salem High School students doesn't have time to listen to societal scuttlebutt that suggests today's youth spends too much time on social media and gaming.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools and parents be praised, these three juniors will soon compete in a Samsung STEM competition in which they are crafting a drone to alert Salem officials of dangerous algae levels in Detroit Lake, the source of Salem's drinking-water.

We're confident Salem's water officials are keeping watch.

South Salem High School juniors Ned Harlan, Julie Chen and Mason Obery pose with their math teacher and supervisor Warren Trotter on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. The students are preparing to compete in a Samsung STEM competition in which they are making a drone that would alert officials of dangerous algae levels in Detroit Lake.

Anyone who was in town last Memorial Day weekend can't forget the disorder that ensued when the public was notified that low levels of toxins were discovered in the city's drinking water

Teamwork:South Salem High students pitch drone to monitor Detroit Lake algae blooms

Reactions:Oregon will require drinking water systems to test for algal toxins

Follow-up:Salem reissues do-not-drink alert after toxins found again in drinking water

An update:First tests show Oregon clear of cyanotoxins outside Santiam River area

Algae blooms in the lake caused the city to issue a drinking-water ban for young children, people with compromised immune systems, those on dialysis, those with pre-existing liver conditions, pets, pregnant and nursing women, and others.

Tumult ruled for weeks, and the city set about looking for different ways to filter the community's water supply and test its samples.

So it's comforting to know South Salem students are handing the city what could be an early-warning device.

The three students, Julie Chen, Mason Obery, and Ned Harlan, are being guided by teacher Warren Trotter.

Their project, selected from thousands of entries nationwide, was recently named the Oregon state winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. With the win came a $20,000 prize, a Samsung video kit, and all the accolades that go with being tops in the state, or just one of 50 nationwide.

While the chance to further compete as one of an elite 10 teams nationwide is notable, what's more important is that these students came up with a viable solution for a very real problem in their own community.

Steve Powers, Salem's city manager, said it's exciting to see young people creatively engaging on an issue important to Salem.

Power said the city is open to the students' help. City staff has been collaborating on the water issue with scientists from NASA, the EPA, the Great Lakes Observing System and The Prediction Lab at Oregon State University to gain new information and observe technology that might help Salem develop an early-warning system for the watershed. 

"We would love to support and encourage the student’s project in any way that we can," Powers said.

Trotter, who teaches math at the high school, said his students don't have the resources of NASA, the EPA and OSU. But what they lack in economic support, they more than make up in spirit, smarts, and determination.

The students and Trotter have sent emails to Salem staff offering to share their early-warning system, and to see if the city might share some of the other data it has collected.

There's been no response from the city yet, Trotter said.

But it's not too early to be proud of these students. They have tenacity and a willingness to help, and they're invested in Salem. Good traits all. 

Carol McAlice Currie is the opinions editor for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at ccurrie@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6746.