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Shad Valley Open Day at Trent University to Showcase Energy-Saving Inventions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27 Event an Opportunity for Public to See What Canada's Top High School Students Have Designed

Tuesday, July 25, 2006, Peterborough

On Thursday, July 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. the public is invited to the Shad Valley Open Day in the Lady Eaton College cafeteria at Trent University to see and learn about new energy-saving inventions designed by 45 of Canada's best and brightest high school students as part of the prestigious Shad Valley program.

Trent University is one of twelve universities across Canada to offer the Shad Valley program, which combines entrepreneurship with science and technology, and gives students an opportunity to attend lectures and workshops and get involved with group projects. Some participants are also offered a five-week, paid work experience with a Shad partner company upon completion of the program. This year, 620 students were selected to participate in this award-winning summer program, hosted simultaneously at campuses across Canada from July 2 to 28.

The energy-saving inventions are a major component of the four-week Shad Valley program. For the Design-Entrepreneurship Project, Trent's Shad participants were split into six houses and have spent three weeks designing a product that could help save energy. In addition to designing the product, groups have also had to write a business plan, conduct market research, and develop financial statements for the product.

The six Design-Entrepreneurship Projects were evaluated and judged on Monday, July 14. Each project will also be on display on Open Day. The winners are as follows:
• Best Overall: Smart-E (House 6) – an electrical meter that tracks constant electricity consumption and graphs it for the home or business owner.
• Best Idea: Weatherpin (House 1) – a clothes pin with a barometer and an LED light attached that allows the user to see if it's about to rain.
• Best Presentation: LiloGen (House 2) – a new way of generating power through liftlocks.
• Best Business Plan and 2nd Best Overall: LocksBox (House 4) – a box that allows hair straightness to work in an energy efficient manner.
• Best Proof of Concept: Dynaeco (House 5) – a generator that fits into exercise bikes at gyms allowing them to produce their own energy.
• 3rd Best Overall: Illuminox (House 3) – a light meter that allows homeowners to keep track of their electric consumption (Using Green-Yellow-Red) lights.

Throughout Open Day, the Shad Valley program participants will be on hand to explain their projects and answer questions. Other projects will also be on display, including products from a Rocket Competition, held on July 15, one of many other activities in which the Shad participants have been involved in at Trent.

Other activities undertaken by Trent's Shad participants include: a camping trip to Bark Lake where they built a model city out of sand; forensic science workshops, which included crime scene investigations and DNA profiling exercises; a newspaper article writing workshop, run by Lydia Dotto; and a bio-ethics workshop, which involved debating the concept of using pigs as substitutes for human organ donors.

Established in 1981, Shad Valley is a not-for-profit organization based in Waterloo, Ontario, consisting of an extended community of leaders dedicated to the development of remarkable youth, helping them to recognize, harness and strengthen their talents. For the past quarter century, the award-winning international Shad Valley program has proven to be a competitive advantage for senior high school students striving to push past intellectual and creative standards. Shad Valley currently boasts a network of 9,000 Shad Valley alumni, some 100 supporter organizations, and thousands of educators at schools across the country.

The Shad Valley Open Day at Trent is open to the public and free to attend. Refreshments will be available.

For more information about the Shad Valley program, please visit: www.shad.ca.

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The media are invited and encouraged to attend the July 27 Open Day.

Media representatives will be on hand at the event to show you around and introduce you to the various groups and projects.

For more information, please contact:
Peter Northrop, Program Co-Director, (705) 748-1011 x1490; or
Jack Pal, Program Co-Director, (519) 440-7505