Teams Vita Flow and Shock Sleeve earn 2nd and 4th place, bringing home $2,000 and highlighting a record-setting year for student innovation
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood, NJ – June 10, 2025 – Two of Ridgewood High School’s Applied Engineering Invention teams, Team Vita Flow and Team Shock Sleeve, placed Second and Fourth place respectively at the 2025 NJSBA STEAM Tank Final on Friday, May 23, bringing home a combined prize of $2000 for the high school. This competition wrapped up the most productive year of RHS invention.
Team Vita Flow, which placed second, was developed by juniors Elliot Yi, Aarav Motivala and sophomore Matias Levan. Vita Flow is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, portable, self-powered IV delivery system that provides a constant flow rate regardless of the patient’s physical position. The invention is designed to deliver reliable IV therapy in challenging conditions—such as disaster zones, areas with frequent power outages, or regions where medical infrastructure is limited or inconsistent.
Shock Sleeve, which placed fourth, was developed by juniors Jeremy Cohen, Neal Schrimali and Ishaan Chakrabarty. Shock Sleeve is a rechargeable electric stimulation and cryotherapy shoulder sleeve with various modes that allows users to customize the therapy they need. The device is designed to aid muscle recovery and prevent serious injuries—particularly in baseball players and older adults—by combining targeted electric stimulation with advanced cooling therapy.
Lillian Labowsky, a chemistry and physics teacher at Ridgewood High School and advisor of the Applied Engineering Invention Club (AEC) with co-club advisor Richard Plattel is thrilled with how successful this year has been for the club. This year, a record of 12 RHS teams and 80 high school teams participated in the NJSTEAM Tank competition, which is sponsored by the US Army via an outreach program.
“Overall, this has been the most productive year for the Applied Engineering Invention Club, showcasing our students’ creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and problem-solving skills, fostering an invention culture at RHS,” said Labowsky. “Over five years, the Applied Engineering Club has been awarded a total of over $10,000 in prize money and three 3D printers for RHS. This is an addition to the $8500 grant from the 2020 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Program. Invention is a fun, win-win education experience that turns out to be financially beneficial for RHS. Thank you.”
The AEC has achieved remarkable growth this year with 250 members under the leadership of 11 seniors and president Maggie Zhou. In the 2024 NJSBA STEAM Tank Competition, Team ViriTec, composed of sophomores Chris (Cheng Ze) Liang, Kaan Parlak, and Amari Abdalla, secured third place, earning a prize of $1,000 for the school. Team ViriTec invented ViriPlant, a smart home-integrated, AI-powered plant care solution. Smart sensors track plant health in real-time, and an automated watering system delivers just the right amount of water. It is an AI machine learning adapted system for complete plant care—demonstration of the prototype.
About Ridgewood High School Applied Engineering Invention Club: The Applied Engineering Club members invent technical solutions for real-world problems. Through the process, the club strives to empower students to become responsible, innovative, and socially conscious engineers who contribute meaningfully to their community and the world.Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: [email protected]
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: [email protected]
