What happens when high school students are given a real-world problem, a gym full of potential investors, and a stack of million-dollar checks? At Wolverine Academy, the district’s alternative high school, the result looked a lot like an episode of Shark Tank — with a strong focus on environmental responsibility.
The Ultimate Design Challenge Engineer and Design Funding Fair invited students to redesign everyday product packaging to reduce environmental impact while maintaining — or improving — performance. After months of research, math, prototyping and testing, students pitched their ideas to parents, district staff and other community members acting as “funders.” By the end of the 90-minute fair, millions of imaginary dollars had been invested in some very real innovations.
A Deep Dive into Engineering and Environmental Impact
According to Wolverine Academy Dean of Students, Abrah Masterson, the project was designed to immerse students in both the engineering design process and the mathematics behind environmental engineering.
“The challenge was to redesign a product’s packaging to be more environmentally friendly” Masterson explained.
Students began by examining the environmental impact of the trash people put into the world every day. Each student selected a product or package that mattered to them personally — resulting in redesigns ranging from car doors and sandwich wrappers to pocket-sized religious items.
Using geometric principles, students analyzed surface area, volume, percent yield and surface-area-to-volume ratios. The aim was to increase efficiency while decreasing material use.
“They followed the life cycle of their package from start to finish and looked at the carbon emissions that product was putting into the environment,” Masterson said. “They redesigned them by using different materials or applying mathematics to cut down on the materials they were using — most were a combination of both.”
Students had to recalculate and clearly show the differences between the original and redesigned products, blueprint their ideas with precise measurements, and then build physical prototypes. Materials used included bamboo, mycelium, wood pulp and post-consumer recyclables.
From Prototype to Pitch
After building their redesigned products, students wrote their own scientific testing protocols and evaluated their designs in three categories: functionality, durability and the ability to produce the product at scale. Each design went through testing, revision and refinement before it was ready for the funding fair.
The gym was transformed into a showcase space with 21 stations, each representing an individual student or student team. Every funder who entered the fair received a million-dollar check.
“They spent as long as they could going to every table they could visit, and the students would pitch their product,” Masterson said. “They demonstrated their product, showed their research, and shared their math.”
Funders could ask unlimited questions and were encouraged to dig into the depth and clarity of each presentation, as well as the feasibility of the design for real-world production. At the end of the fair, funders wrote the name of the project they believed in most on their check and placed it in a secure collection bin. Once the checks were tallied, the winners were announced.
Innovation Takes the Top Spots
Third place, with two million dollars in funding, went to Olivia Miller, who redesigned bubble wrap to be fully compostable while still providing effective protection. Her material combined wood pulp with a water-soluble adhesive, allowing the packaging to mold to the shape of items during shipping.
“It was really effective at protecting the item from breakage,” Masterson said of her design.
Second place, earning three million dollars in funding, was awarded to Vin McCullough and Moses Stubbs-Lopez for their redesigned headphone packaging. Instead of a traditional oversized box, they created an impact-resistant bag made from plant fibers.
“The box had an excess of wasted material because it wasn’t the shape of the headphones and made too large,” Masterson explained. By reducing surface area and volume, their design significantly cut down on material use while remaining compostable.
The top prize — five million dollars in funding — went to Nicole Cuellar for her redesign of prescription pill bottles. Cuellar focused on minimizing plastic use while still meeting safety requirements. Her design incorporated mycelium material with a reduced plastic lining.
Wolverine Academy Science teacher Brennan Buiso praised the thoughtful balance of innovation and practicality.
“You do have to keep a plastic lining in there, but she minimized the amount of plastic,” he said.
A Proud Moment for Students and Families
The event drew strong community support, with parents filling the gym alongside district office personnel. Masterson estimated that about half of Wolverine Academy students’ parents attended.
“I think students really took a lot of pride in it,” she said. “The parents who came were really happy with the level of work their students were doing.”
Throughout the fair, students confidently engaged with funders, answered challenging questions, and spoke passionately about their designs.
“They had worked very hard, and it showed when they were pitching and presenting,” Masterson said. “Their depth of knowledge and how they were able to present that research really shined.”
Beyond the excitement and competition, the project clearly aligned with state academic standards and demonstrated what students can accomplish when learning is hands-on, relevant and connected to real-world challenges.
“It was cool to see how that work aligned with state standards,” Masterson said. “It was clear they were working along the expectations of what we want high school students to be able to do.”
At Wolverine Academy, the Ultimate Design Challenge proved that with creativity, rigorous thinking and a little Shark Tank-style pressure, students can engineer solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
