Kim, a 12th grade student at West Lafayette High School, discovered his dog, Joy, had heartworm disease and ordered medicine through an online pharmacy.

But the medicine Kim ordered would not only be ineffective but also aggravate Joy’s illness even more.

Motivated by his dog鈥檚 health scare, Kim designed a way for people to verify the authenticity of pharmaceutical products 鈥� by printing an edible QR code directly on the medicine.

Kim was one of in middle and high school who presented their inventions and research projects focused on solving key global issues at the in Washington, DC.  

鈥淭here have been countless tragedies and deaths caused by either substandard, falsified or diverted pharmaceutical products,鈥� Kim told 社区黑料. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 glad to have had this opportunity to raise more awareness of counterfeit medicine.鈥�

Hosted by and the , student innovators were selected from an array of nationwide competitions, including the where more than 2,500 students submitted projects across six categories: Environmental Stewardship, Future Foods, Health & Medicine, Powering the Planet, Tech for Good and Space Innovation.

Here are five student innovators featured at the National STEM Festival:

Joshua Kim, 18

West Lafayette High School 路 West Lafayette, Indiana

Among more than 50,000 online pharmacies worldwide, Kim found only 3 percent operate and distribute medicine legally 鈥� contributing to the annual deaths of over one million people.

Kim said the measures most pharmacies use to reduce counterfeit concerns are 鈥渓imited by low security,鈥� such as only tracking medicine through its exterior packaging.

鈥淚t’s easy for medicine to be removed from their packaging鈥nd dose level securities are either limited by the need for expensive technology or trained personnel,鈥� Kim said.

鈥淪o this means patients at home do not have access to ways of verifying their medicine.鈥�

Kim believes his edible QR code will allow people to ensure they are receiving genuine and legitimate medicine.

Ashley Valencia, 17

Harvest Preparatory Academy 路 Yuma, Arizona

Self-conscious about her crooked teeth, Arizona high schooler Ashley Valencia saw how expensive dental care can be growing up in a low-income family. But it wasn鈥檛 just her family that couldn鈥檛 afford dental care 鈥� many of her neighbors also struggled to afford it. 

Valencia, a 12th grade student at Harvest Preparatory Academy, channeled her insecurity to help students in developing countries who have even less access to proper oral hygiene products 鈥� by creating an affordable toothpaste and mouthwash using their native plants.

鈥淚 always knew I wanted to do something in medicine so when I thought about different [research] topics close to me, I started to think about my past experiences,鈥� Valencia told 社区黑料.

鈥淭hat’s why I created my own oral treatments that were easily accessible and affordable to people who might not have access to the things I had,鈥� she added.

Valencia said she shared her research with public schools in the Philippines to address their students鈥� dental concerns.

At the festival, Valencia said she plans to travel to developing countries across South and Southeast Asia to share her oral hygiene products.

鈥淏ecause I come from a school that doesn鈥檛 have a lot of resources鈥eing able to attend the festival and present my research to all of the important people that were there was really exciting,鈥� Valencia said.

Clarisse Telles Alvares Coelho, 18

New Mexico Military Institute 路 Roswell, New Mexico

From lion鈥檚 mane to king oyster, New Mexico high schooler and longtime vegetarian Clarisse Telles Alvares Coelho loves eating all types of mushrooms.

Coelho, a 12th grade student at the New Mexico Military Institute, said the misconceptions of mushrooms inspired her research project on their health benefits 鈥� particularly the abundance of a soluble fiber called beta-glucan.

鈥淚 knew many people didn鈥檛 like mushrooms鈥ut what if I was able to make them change their minds,鈥� Coelho told 社区黑料. 鈥淲ith beta-glucan acting in your immune system, our metabolism works faster.鈥�

Coelho said she was 鈥渧ery surprised鈥� to have the opportunity to present her project at the festival.

鈥淚t was such a great feeling because there was so much hard work and late nights put into researching this project鈥so] it was so amazing to be recognized,鈥� Coelho said.

Alicia Wright, 17

Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology 路 Conyers, Georgia

Concerned by our global carbon footprint, Georgia high schooler Alicia Wright discovered the majority of CO2 emissions come from the cement used in construction.

Wright, an 11th grade student at Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, found a way to replace cement with mycelium 鈥� a type of fungi that can be transformed into a biodegradable construction material.

鈥淚 was inspired by the complexity of mycelium and how fungus works,鈥� Wright told 社区黑料. 鈥淭his will better the environment so that future generations can enjoy as we have.鈥�

At the festival, Wright said the diversity of students presenting their projects with her felt 鈥渆mpowering.鈥�

鈥淚t was very encouraging to see people with my skin color and gender presenting with me,鈥� Wright said.

Haasini Mendu, 16

William Mason High School 路 Mason, Ohio

Ohio high schooler Haasini Mendu came up with a way to improve medication dosage for Parkinson鈥檚 disease 鈥� a disorder that causes involuntary body movement, often called tremors.

Mendu, an 11th grade student at William Mason High School, designed a wearable device that quantifies the number of tremors someone has and automatically sends the information to an app she created called 鈥淭remorSense.鈥�

She said the information is processed through an 鈥淎I-based machine learning鈥� filter to distinguish between tremor and non-tremor movements.

Mendu said the opportunity to meet other students and build connections was her favorite part of the festival.

鈥淚t was very easy to make some friends and also learn about their very cool inventions and ideas,鈥� Mendu told 社区黑料.

鈥淗aving this recognition鈥eels motivating to continue working on my skills [because] there were so many people interested in what I鈥檓 trying to do with my research.鈥�

There鈥檚 one hitch: According to , districts are already spending, or planning to spend, almost a quarter of funds from the American Rescue Plan on facilities and operations.

鈥淕etting clarifications and new restrictions this late in the game is tough on [districts],鈥� said Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. 鈥淲hat happens if money is already approved and spent before these recent鈥� guidelines were released?

The department was especially pointed about using federal dollars to build and upgrade sports facilities. The school district, for example, paid for new athletic fields and the in Alabama renovated weight rooms

Such expenses would not be allowed unless districts can connect the project to COVID preparedness and response, the document said. 鈥淚t is unclear, for example, how constructing a swimming pool is related to the pandemic,鈥� according to the department.

The Milwaukee district declined to comment on its use of funds for athletics-related projects, while the Wisconsin Department of Education said it is still reviewing the guidance to 鈥渄etermine next steps.鈥� Alabama officials did not respond to requests for comment.

With billions in COVID relief funds for schools still unspent, school finance experts say the guidance could confuse district leaders who have been waiting for the guidance for months. But with it dropping before the holidays, it could be well into January before states offer webinars or other opportunities to explain it to districts.

The document is not law, but says leaders should be prepared to justify how their projects relate to the pandemic. The has picked up this fall, according to Roza鈥檚 tracking of expenditures. A recent survey from , however, showed that over 40% of those responding said they were struggling to navigate compliance standards related to spending the funds.聽

In March, the department schools Superintendent Richard Woods that it was OK for districts to use the money to cover rising fuel costs. The new guidance doesn鈥檛 specifically address that scenario and only gives expenses 鈥渞elated to improving indoor air quality鈥� as an 鈥渁cceptable鈥� example. 

Department officials told 社区黑料 that the newest information is consistent with past guidance and that they have always 鈥渦rged caution around long-term facilities and capital expenditures.鈥� They said whether an expense is allowable is still up to state officials. 

鈥淚t really isn’t our role to ensure that states are looking at every single situation in the exact same way because 鈥� the context matters,鈥� the official said.

Still, Elleka Yost, director of advocacy for the Association of School Business Officials International, said the 鈥渢one鈥� of the document bothers her.

鈥淭he quality of school facilities impacts student health, well-being, attendance, engagement and learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nvesting funds in facility improvements should be seen as part of a district鈥檚 strategy to recover from the pandemic and improve student learning rather than as something contradictory or unessential to achieving those goals.鈥�

Some district leaders have made the case for spending relief funds on athletic facilities by saying they .

Sasha Pudelski, advocacy director for AASA, the School Superintendents Association, that instead of providing flexibility for districts with classroom additions going up or extensive renovations already underway, the department chose to 鈥渃riticize these decisions and chastise districts for these expenditures.鈥�

The department provided no more details in response to the requests for extensions on spending the funds that came from AASA and , but said it will lay out a process 鈥渁t a later date.鈥�

Districts worried about obligating the money by the 2024 deadline could pay ahead for services delivered over multiple years; the document lists a software license as an example. But it also warns that this practice is 鈥渘ot good stewardship鈥� of federal funds.

Teachers and parents

Since the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021, experts like Roza have also cautioned districts against using the funds for teacher and staff pay raises because it would be hard to continue covering those higher costs when the money runs out. 

But the guidance notes that the funds can be used for 鈥減ermanent salary increases.鈥� Austin Reid, senior legislative director for federal education policy at the National Conference of State Legislatures, finds that advice puzzling, given talk of a .

鈥淔unding full roles or permanent salary increases can still be a risky bet by local districts, especially given the uncertainty in the economy,鈥� he said.

Paying parents incentives to ensure their children go to school, on the other hand, is off the table, according to the department, which called attendance a 鈥渕andatory activity.鈥�

鈥淭his one frustrated me, in part because we have a massive problem with chronic absenteeism,鈥� Roza said. 鈥淪eems like we shouldn鈥檛 be invoking the notion that school is mandatory so soon after school became un-mandatory when it shut down for a year.鈥�

The vote came the day after the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which now goes to the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she won鈥檛 introduce the infrastructure package for a vote until she鈥檚 assured all 50 Democrats in the Senate are on board with the rest of the party鈥檚 agenda regarding social, immigration and climate policies. But to get there she鈥檒l have to balance competing agendas within her own party.

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鈥淭he House will continue to work with the Senate to ensure that our priorities for the people are included in the final infrastructure and reconciliation packages, in a way that is resilient and will build back better,鈥� Pelosi said in Tuesday.

Moderate Democrats, however, her to take action on the infrastructure bill now and not wait until later this fall when committee leaders in the Senate work out the details of the $3.5 trillion bill. Observers say it could be late fall before the plan passes the Senate.

鈥淎fter years of waiting, we cannot afford unnecessary delays to finally deliver on a physical infrastructure package,鈥� moderates said in a letter. 鈥淎s we continue to recover from the pandemic, the American people are counting on us to drive real results for them in every single Congressional district.鈥�

Senate Democrats are using a process called reconciliation that allows them to pass the spending package without any Republican votes.

Sen. Krysten Simena of Arizona, who took the lead on negotiating with Republicans over the infrastructure bill, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, another moderate Democrat, have suggested the $3.5 trillion figure is .

But Rick Hess, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said he doesn鈥檛 think most Democrats will be 鈥渢reating the fiscal implications of budgetary rules with much seriousness.鈥�

Manchin crossed the aisle in a long vote session last night to approve to the budget resolution that opposes allowing federal funds to support the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools, such as hiring consultants for teacher training. Sponsored by Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, the legislation would add to several state laws banning educators from teaching that racism is embedded in U.S. systems to advantage white people.

It鈥檚 the larger $3.5 trillion package that concerns most education advocates. In to Congress Monday, 17 leading organizations urged lawmakers to include at least $130 billion in the reconciliation bill for school facilities 鈥� a concern that was left out of the infrastructure bill.

鈥淭he longstanding neglect of school facilities disproportionately impacts low-income school districts and those districts with particularly aging facilities,鈥� the letter said. 鈥淭hese districts often lack a local tax base that can be leveraged for new school construction, major capital improvements, or building renovations and modernizations.鈥�

School nutrition advocates want to see permanent funding for free school meals beyond the 2021-22 school year. Over 400 organizations have signed saying such a policy 鈥渆liminates the cost barrier for families who do not qualify [for free or reduced-price meals], but who still struggle to make ends meet.鈥�

It鈥檚 unclear, however, whether Democrats can stretch the $3.5 trillion to cover everything they鈥檇 like to deliver, including $200 billion for pre-K, $109 billion for two years of free community college and several teacher education and higher education initiatives. The president鈥檚 agenda would also extend an increase in the Child Tax Credit for four more years and include paid family leave.

The U.S. Senate passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday, with 19 Republicans joining 50 Democrats in approving the measure.聽

“I want to thank a group of senators, Democrats and Republicans for doing what they told me they would do,” President Joe Biden聽said. “They said they’re willing to work in a bipartisan manner, and I want to thank them for keeping their word.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the result of a long negotiating process with Republicans, addresses the “clear and present danger” of lead pipes carrying drinking water, reduces transportation costs and increases internet access, Biden said.

“During remote learning during the pandemic last year,” he said, “we saw too many families forced to literally sit in their vehicles in a fast food parking lot so their children can get on the internet they couldn’t afford and didn’t have access to at home.”

The bill 鈥� the first phase of Biden’s domestic agenda 鈥� now heads to the House, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn’t expected to introduce it until it’s clear that all Democrats will support the second, and larger, social spending package.

The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a bi-partisan $1.2 trillion on Tuesday that includes funding for electric school buses, eliminating lead pipes in schools and expanding the nation鈥檚 access to broadband.

Most of President Joe Biden鈥檚 agenda for education and families, however, is included in a separate $3.5 trillion Senate Democrats unveiled Monday, with plans to pass legislation over Republican opposition.

Progressive House members have been threatening for months that they won鈥檛 approve one without the other, setting up a potential drawn-out battle this fall if Democrats don鈥檛 get everything they want in the larger 鈥淎merican Family Plan.鈥� Republican leaders, meanwhile, have urged Democrats to separate the two packages to ensure that to fix roads and bridges and expand public transportation, among others, make it to the president鈥檚 desk. Thus far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the piecemeal approach, showing a determination to pass as much of the president鈥檚 agenda as possible within his first year in office.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe leadership would move one [bill] without being confident the other is locked down,鈥� said Julia Martin, legislative director of Brustein and Manasevit, a Washington-based education law firm.

The strategy, she said, is an effort to ensure the larger social spending bill 鈥� which includes universal pre-K, free community college and an extension of the Child Tax Credit 鈥� would pass despite reservations from moderates over the cost and objections from more liberal members that it doesn鈥檛 go far enough.

With Democrats in control of both houses in Congress, they can pursue a process known as reconciliation, which doesn鈥檛 require any Republican votes.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a one-party bill anyway, there鈥檚 a lot of pressure to pass long-standing and more liberal priorities,鈥� Martin said.

Some Democrats, for example, want to see the larger Child Tax Credit, which families began receiving last month, . The one-year increase passed as part of the March relief bill, and Biden鈥檚 plan extends it through 2025. House and Senate Democrats are also pushing for , but Biden鈥檚 proposal doesn鈥檛 go that far. He鈥檚 calling for free school meals for all students in the , covering about 70 percent of students in the elementary grades.

The chance Democrats could lose more seats in Congress is another reason they鈥檙e pushing to pass both packages. With midterm elections next year, some experts expect Republicans to challenge the majority on issues such as .

Democrats 鈥渃ould very likely lose the House in 鈥�22, so this is the moment,鈥� said Danny Carlson, associate executive director for policy and advocacy at the National Association for Elementary School Principals.

The $3.5 trillion package includes $726 billion for the Senate education committee, which will write bills for pre-K, expanding access to child care, building and renovating schools, and addressing teacher shortages. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, in a letter Monday, asked the committees to submit their bills by Sept. 15.

He also urged Democrats to 鈥済o on the offense鈥� during the upcoming recess 鈥渢o explain how our budget will lower costs and cut taxes for American families.鈥�

But Republicans argue it will only increase the national debt. In , Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the package 鈥渇ar-left radicalism鈥� and said on the floor Saturday that budget committee Chairman Bernie Sanders鈥檚 鈥渟ocialist shopping list will make every disagreement we鈥檝e had in landing the infrastructure compromise look like a rounding error.鈥�

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released showing the infrastructure bill would increase the federal deficit by $256 billion over the next 10 years. That figure the bill, but is fueling objections to additional spending

McConnell specifically mentioned the administration鈥檚 child care proposal, calling it 鈥済overnment meddling … that would privilege certain families鈥� choices over others.鈥欌��

Biden鈥檚 plan seeks to lower the cost of child care, while still giving parents options, including centers and family child care providers. But some conservatives argue there鈥檚 still too much emphasis on group settings.

Katharine Stevens, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said while she understands that full-time child care is essential for working parents, 鈥渋t’s not optimal for the majority of children 鈥� even harmful for some 鈥� during the most crucial period of development.鈥�

The plan would increase pay for providers, which can allow centers to hire better-qualified teachers, but Stevens said ensuring all programs reach high quality is still 鈥渁 very big if.鈥�

When Congress returns in the fall, the Senate will also have to take up the fiscal year 2022 budget. The House has already passed seven appropriations bills, including nearly $103 billion for the Department of Education, a $29 billion increase over 2021.

But now, with chicken and beef prices up, a worldwide shortage of packaging materials and a dearth of long-haul truckers, she鈥檚 not as sure what she鈥檒l be serving the district鈥檚 18,000 students this fall. And she won鈥檛 be surprised if distributors start adding transportation surcharges 鈥渢o stop the bleeding on their end鈥� 鈥� something she hasn鈥檛 seen since the Great Recession.

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鈥淚t鈥檚 a domino effect,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at the point now where we don鈥檛 even know what鈥檚 going to come in the back door.鈥�

Food services are just one aspect of school operations affected by inflation, which is experiencing a 13-year high. Wages are climbing because districts can鈥檛 find enough employees to drive buses or provide students additional academic support. Price hikes on materials are causing some districts to hit pause on construction projects and districts are for teachers to help students catch up.

At a time when the American Rescue Plan is flooding school districts with more federal money than they鈥檝e ever had, educators are slowly awakening to the reality that those funds might not go as far as expected and that inflation may have a lasting impact on their regular budgets as well .

鈥淪chool districts are like little cities. You鈥檝e got food service. You鈥檝e got transportation. You鈥檝e got maintenance. Inflation across the sectors will impact all those areas,鈥� said Charles Carpenter, chief financial officer for the Denver Public Schools.

The economic indicators are clear. This summer, the Consumer Price Index 鈥� which measures changes in what people typically pay for goods and services 鈥� saw its largest one-month and 12-month increases since 2008, according to the government鈥檚 .

Experts attribute in inflation in part to the rollback of pandemic restrictions: Consumers are traveling, eating out and shopping more, which is driving up prices. But there鈥檚 not enough supply to meet the demand.

The debate is over how much to worry about it. Some that President Joe Biden鈥檚 policies 鈥� the partisan relief bill that passed in March and his big-ticket infrastructure packages 鈥� will hurt the economy, while others argue this period of inflation and won鈥檛 spiral out of control.

Either way, Carpenter is closely monitoring costs of raw materials like lumber and copper as the district moves forward with building new schools and adding air-conditioning to 24 sites over the next three years.

Contractors 鈥渁re bidding on our projects knowing that they鈥檒l see price increases,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o you try and push forward now and lock in a price or wait and it could be worse?鈥�

Some districts are discussing whether to to lower prices and others have decided to pause projects because contractors can鈥檛 provide solid cost estimates. The St. Clair R-III School District, southwest of St. Louis, decided in June to delay construction on a performing arts center and a bus facility until costs stabilize. 鈥淚t has become much more difficult to obtain competitive, cost-effective bids for construction projects,鈥� Superintendent Kyle Kruse said in his report to the board.

鈥楥an鈥檛 find the people鈥�

While districts might be able to defer construction or renovation, they can鈥檛 put off addressing students鈥� academic needs 鈥� especially given the extreme learning loss that often accompanied more than a year of remote learning.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got this short-term demand for services to mitigate instructional loss and a shortage of labor willing to put in that time,鈥� said Jonathan Travers, who leads consulting services for Education Resource Strategies, a nonprofit that helps districts leverage resources to improve student learning.

That鈥檚 why in addition to price hikes on materials, districts are seeing higher labor costs. Some have offered bonuses and even to attract summer school teachers. The danger for districts, he said, is that unions might expect to maintain those higher wages when they return to the bargaining table to negotiate future contracts.

In Plymouth-Canton, Hennessey still has 20 positions to fill before fall. She said entry-level school nutrition employees earn about $11 per hour, but that doesn鈥檛 come close to the $15 they can earn at McDonald鈥檚. And districts nationally are struggling to find even with higher pay.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have all this money,鈥� said Uri Monson, chief financial officer with the Philadelphia schools. 鈥淏ut if you can鈥檛 find the people to do the work 鈥� even if you鈥檙e going to pay them 鈥� that鈥檚 a problem.鈥�

Districts aren鈥檛 the only ones feeling the pinch. from the accounting firm KPMGshowed parents estimate they鈥檒l spend an average of $20 more on school supplies this fall. Parents of young children, many of whom delayed enrollment last year, anticipate spending $156 per child 鈥� a 32 percent increase over last school year.

What鈥檚 eating up much of their back-to-school spending? 鈥� a necessity some may have skipped last fall when many districts opened remotely.

One relief for families is that the increased costs come at the same time the majority of households with school-age children are receiving monthly of $250 to $300, approved as part of the relief bill.

鈥楥alm the markets鈥�

Some districts plan budgets to allow them to ride out periods like this. The Philadelphia district signs fixed contracts for expenses such as fuel, food services 鈥� and, of course, labor.

鈥淲e occasionally get criticized when we do long-term guaranteed pricing contracts,鈥� Monson said. 鈥淣o one is going to complain right now. This is exactly why we do it.鈥�

But he acknowledged that the soaring prices are hitting contractors hard as well as those waiting for supplies. 鈥淭he cost of wood and basic materials has been out of control,鈥� Monson said. And with shipping delays, he鈥檚 urging departments to allow longer lead times for deliveries. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to order something on Friday and expect it to be there on Monday.鈥�

That鈥檚 because the most Americans experienced at the beginning of the pandemic haven鈥檛 really gone away.

鈥淭here are shipments from Asia that have been stuck at the Los Angeles port since October鈥� 鈥� mostly because of labor shortages, said Charlie Andrews, a senior cost manager with Rider Levett Bucknall, which advises school districts on construction costs and provides project management services.

When contractors face unforeseen costs, such as tariffs, they often pass those on to school systems.

Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund 鈥� which advocates for modernizing school facilities 鈥� said cost fluctuations help make the case for Biden鈥檚 $100 school construction plan, a combination of direct grants and bonds. The proposal didn鈥檛 make it in the with Republicans, but is expected to re-emerge in the details of a Democrats have proposed.

鈥淒istricts need long money,鈥� Filardo said. 鈥淚t will calm the markets somewhat and give them more leverage as they plan and implement projects.鈥�