Real problems. Real technology. Real solutions.

Watts the Spot

QUESTION NO. EDU-2024-06

WHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS ACCESS TO POWER A SAFETY ISSUE?

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It's late. It's dark. You call a rideshare. Your phone dies. What do you do?

The NSF Challenge

The National Science Foundation had an ambitious goal: create an entire new generation of battery engineers in Upstate New York—focused specifically on Syracuse, Rochester, and Binghamton.

They tapped Budmen Industries to find a way to activate the youth in those cities and get them deeply engaged in solving energy problems.

We started with a question: Where are there energy problems in students' communities?

NSF grant materials and partnership documentation for battery engineer program

With a little investigation, students very quickly discovered something we hadn't expected.

Cell phones aren't just toys for entertainment. They're tools for both safety and security in daily life.

When your phone dies, it's not inconvenient. It can be dangerous.

Students started to identify need-gap scenarios—spots in their community where access to charging power presented a safety or security issue.

Working with the YWCA, we created a program called Watts the Spot.

Students would identify these need gaps and solve them using renewable energy technology.

Real World Scenarios

You walk to the bus stop after a late activity. You see the schedule has changed. It's dark, cold, and you look down and your phone is dead.

You reach the top of a hiking trail, your battery is gone. There's no signal, no charger, and you dont know the way back

The power goes out in your neighborhood and your school becomes a shelter. People are coming in, but there's no way to charge phones or turn on lights.

You're waiting for a ride after a late school activity during a snowstorm. Your fingers are freezing and your phone shuts down. You can't call your ride to let them know you're done.

You're at a packed game. The score is close. Everyone is posting on social media when your team wins! Afterward, everyone's phones are dead and n o one can call a ride.

You're sitting with a friend on a bench at sunset. Their phone is dead, yours is done, and you need to find a way home.

You're out for a long morning run. A few miles in, your phone dies and you're not sure which street to take to get back home.

You finish closing up your job at night. Everyone's gones, your keys are inside, and your phone is dead.

You're walking a neighbor's dog when it slips out its collar and runs off. You reach for your phone to track its AirTag, but its dead.

You've called a rideshare after a volunteer event. Before you check the car's license plate. your phone dies. You're alone in a parking lot.

You're delivering food on your bike after schoo. Your phone dies and you cant't see the address you're suppossed to deliver to.

You're at a local music festival with your friends. The sun sets, the crowd grows, and your phones dies before you can find your group.

These aren't hypothetical. These are situations students identified from their own lived experiences.

And they would solve them by creating a power beacon.

What Is a Power Beacon?

A power beacon can be any solution the students discover that provides renewable energy to individuals in need.

Power beacons could take the shape of:

Kiosks at bus stops
Mobile charging units
Installations on existing city lights
Systems within or outside of schools

Various power beacon concepts sketched by students showing different form factors and applications

The form follows the need. The students discover what's needed.

RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

Students explored renewable energy technologies with hands-on circuits and real components.

They discovered how:

Piezoelectric

Pressure creates current

Dynamos

Motion generates power

Solar

Light captures energy

Student testing dynamo generator understanding kinetic energy conversion

Dynamos generate power through motion. Kinetic energy captured and measured.

Students testing solar photovoltaic cells under different light conditions

Solar panels capture energy. Understanding photovoltaic conversion through experimentation.

Students exploring piezoelectric sensors and generators with hands-on circuit work

Piezoelectric technology. Pressure creates current. Squeeze, click, power flows.

Real circuits. Real current. Real technology.

Rapid Prototyping

Students took what they learned and moved into rapid prototyping sessions.

They created power beacon proofs of concept to solve their specific need-gap scenarios.

Students using blueprints to sketch power beacon concepts and circuit diagrams

From scenarios to solutions. Sketching the first ideas.

Students refining prototypes integrating renewable energy components

Form and function emerging together. Solutions taking shape.

Stephanie Budmen teaching students about renewable energy technologies

Students constructing early prototype with cardboard and circuit components

Isaac Budmen teaching students about prototyping

Close-up of student's power beacon with solar panels and hand crank dynamos.

The Bus Stop Beacon

One example: a group of high school students identified their scenario:

They were at a bus stop during winter. Their phones died.

But the problem didn't just affect them. They identified that many different people use that bus stop. And during a snowstorm, being unable to call for help could be life-threatening.

Their solution: a flat, circular power beacon, on the ground, powered by piezoelectric technology.

Anybody at that bus stop could step on the Power Beacon and charge their phone. For free. The more someone stepped on it, the warmer they got, and the more it powered their phones. Their solution: accessibility, safety, and powered by renewable energy.

Circular power beacon prototype designed for bus stop with multiple charging ports powered by renewable energy

Free power. For safety. When it matters most.

At the end of the program, students presented their proofs of concept.

They identified:

The next steps needed to deploy their solution
The barriers they would face
The stakeholders who could help

Real experiences. Real stakeholders. Real barriers. Real solutions.

Real experiences lead to real activation.

Watts the Spot gives students real experiences that ask them to identify real stakeholders and real barriers that cause these situations and problems.

Students, through their own investigation, use real components and real technology to produce real prototypes.

When students become stakeholders in solving problems they've identified in their own communities, they don't just learn about energy—they become the next generation of engineers the NSF envisioned.

Students discovered that power isn't just about convenience. It's about safety. It's about equity. It's about community.

When students identify real problems, they create real solutions.

100+

Students Activated

Sessions

Energy Technologies

25+

Power Beacons Created

50+

Community Spots Identified

Multiple

Program Cohorts

Partner Organizations

Technical Details

Program Structure

Duration: 8 sessions
Location: Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, NY
Cohorts: Multiple program runs
Format: Hands-on learning and rapid prototyping

Technologies Explored

Piezoelectric: Pressure-generated current
Dynamo: Kinetic energy systems
Solar: Photovoltaic cells
Circuit assembly and testing

Learning Outcomes

Identify community need-gap scenarios where power access creates safety issues
Understand renewable energy technologies and their applications
Create functional power beacon prototypes
Present solutions with barrier analysis and deployment pathways
Think as stakeholders in community problem-solving

Partners

National Science Foundation (NSF) - Program funder
YWCA - Community partner
Budmen Industries - Program design and facilitation

Impact

Students created functional power beacon prototypes addressing real community safety gaps, from bus stop charging stations to trail safety systems. The program successfully engaged students in renewable energy technology and community-centered problem solving.

What happens when students become stakeholders in solving their own community's problems?

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Collaborators

National Science Foundation YWCA Rochester Institute of Technology University of Rochester SUNY Broome Community College Onondaga Community College Isaac Budmen Stephanie Budmen