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Three members of the College of Central Florida’s STEM Club are headed to Arlington, Virginia, as finalists in the 2022 Community College Innovation Challenge.

Justin Bowen, Frankelly Guzman and Andrew Slaughter created a True Wireless Echocardiogram for the national competition led by the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Teams use science, technology, engineering and math to innovate solutions to real-world problems. Finalists will participate in the Innovation Boot Camp in June, competing for cash awards.

“Our team recognized that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States,” said 91��Ƭ STEM Club advisor Dr. Jose Toro-Clarke. “Identifying that one out of every four deaths is caused by heart disease, the students determined that making diagnostic testing readily available for patients could reduce the chances of cardiac arrest. With an increased chance of cardiac failure due to COVID-19 exposure, it is even more essential to find ways to test patients’ heart rhythms safely. Our team tackled this problem by creating a True Wireless ECG device that patients can take home to monitor their cardiac health without the need for a health care professional by their side.”

At the boot camp, the students will have access to professional development, mentoring and coaching designed to build strategic communication and entrepreneurial skills to help them advance their innovations in both the private and public sectors. They will take part in a poster session and engagement opportunity with STEM leaders and Congressional stakeholders and will give a pitch presentation to a panel of industry and entrepreneurial professionals.

For more information about the Innovation Challenge, visit . For more information about College of Central Florida programs, visit 91��Ƭ.edu.