WARWICK – Robert H. LaPlante, a freshman at Bishop Hendricken High School, began a project last November that would not only win him the Best of Fair Senior Division award at the Amgen Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair (RISEF), but would also assist his paraplegic grandfather, Robert J. LaPlante, Sr.
His grandfather said, “I was doing work on the side of the house, and somebody pulled the board I was standing on,” causing severe injury that resulted in paraplegia.
On that day, December 21, 2001, his always active and busy lifestyle suddenly changed. Nevertheless, he was grateful to have his family’s support, and he noticed how his relationship with his grandson grew: “My injury made us get a little bit closer.”
His grandson said, “I wanted to do something in the family” for his science fair project. “My grandpa came up with a lot of things I could work on,” he said, and he eventually decided to begin his project, “Making an automatic door opener,” which turns doorknobs and opens doors for his grandfather.
His grandfather, however, “tried to discourage him” from pursuing a project that would involve potentially dangerous equipment, said his grandmother, Edna LaPlante, but “he knew what he wanted to do. There was no changing his mind.”
Robert ultimately collaborated with his grandfather and father on the project. “It was very interesting to see my son, grandson and husband work together,” said his grandmother.
Robert had some practical considerations. Since his grandfather lives in an apartment, the automatic door opener could not be large or permanent. He also made the device affordable, using ordinary objects like a dog’s toothbrush.
His grandfather said the automatic door opener will improve “my accessibility in the house and wherever I want to put it.”
He also will not be so dependent on his wife, which will help them both, he said.
Robert H. LaPlante’s invention was one of the highly-ranked projects at the Amgen RISEF. Justine Fortier, a senior at LaSalle Academy, also won the Best of Fair Senior Division award for her project, “Emergency vehicle alert system: Part V,” which helps hearing-impaired drivers.
Kristin Smith, a junior at St. Mary Academy Bay View, won the Best of Fair Senior Division Alternate award for her project, “Assistive robotics: A musician’s partner – the 2nd movement,” which involves the engineering and mechanics behind robot building.
(LaSalle Academy winners were profiled in an earlier edition.)
Approximately 500 students participate in the Amgen RISEF each March. By the end of the competition, only 20 finalists remain, half from middle school and half from high school. Judges then select two Best of Fair juniors and two Best of Fair seniors. The seniors attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held this year in Albuquerque, New Mexico May 13-19. It drew approximately 1,500 students from 47 countries.
While neither Fortier nor LaPlante placed in the Intel ISEF, next year Fortier looks forward to studying electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a college freshman, and LaPlante hopes to attend the Intel ISEF as a high school sophomore.
Even though LaPlante’s project is exceptional, he still intends to improve it. “I plan on making it smaller (and) a little better,” which might involve adding battery power and voice command, he said. He said his project has “a lot of potential,” and his grandparents know he does, too.
