Bangor HS Senior A Top 40 Finalist in STEM Competition

Vetri Vel is a 16-year-old senior at Bangor High School and is killing it in STEM.

STEM, in case you don't know, is: an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Through STEM, students develop key skills including: problem solving. creativity.

According to News Center Maine, Vetri is competing in the oldest and most prestigious science and math competition in the country - the Regeneron Science Talent Search. He made the top 40 out of 1,760 entries.

Jackson Labs tweeted how proud their were of him!

This 'talent search' is looking for young scientists and minds who have ideas that could solve some of our biggest challenges. Vetri's project is called, Real-Time Fall Detection System for the Elderly Using Thermal Imaging and Deep Learning.

He wanted to help older folks who fall. He had heard that sometimes they wouldn't get help for hours and sometimes days. His system looks at your space using a low-resolution thermal camera and a small computer called a Raspberry Pi.

Give it up for Vetri, because he is the only Mainer to make the top 40 finalists...and the youngest!  His project will send an automatic call or text message with a picture to see how serious the fall is. And he did it all in his home. He's already won 25,000 dollars and awards go all the way to a quarter of a million dollars! Even Bangor High School got 2,000 dollars to help promote STEM studies.

There will be a virtual competition for a week in March. Gooooo Vetri!