Whiz Kid: Graham Peterson

Graham Peterson is the technical lead for the TechPlayzone  Energy Elites First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Team in Riverview.

This FLL season, the team won first place in Technial Design at Regional Tournament in January at Hillsborough High School. The team went on to State Championship in Melbourne and won second place overall at State for Research and Presentation. Last year they won first place at State for Research and Presentation.
 
This year, the team's research topic was Multiple Sclerosis. Graham suggested making a device to help patients with MS because his dad has MS. The team went to the MS Society in Tampa, visited with a MS support group at the Brandon Regional Library, met with staff at the University of South Florida and met with the shoe designers at The Shoe Lab in Ruskin.  They discovered from all of their research that MS patients suffer from fatigue more than anything else, especially when it's hot. 

So, the team decided to design a device that would regulate the core body temperature for MS patients to decrease fatigue. Graham designed a shoe that would have a compressor in it that would pump a cooling liquid through the soles of the shoes. The shoe would help regulate the core body temperature and allow MS patients to keep from getting so tired.
 
The team was invited by the director of the Tampa MS Society, Bill Conyers, to set up a display during the MS Walk at Lowry Park Zoo March 12.  They raised $200, participated in the walk  and shared their "E-Shoe" (Energy Shoe) concept to all of the participants there. 
 
This summer, the Energy Elites will volunteer at TechPlayzone to show campers how to build robots and do the missions.
 
Graham is a seventh-grade student at Shiloh Charter School in Plant City.  He has dyxlexia.  He's the first to say that First Lego League has changed his life.  He said FLL has  given him confidence and he's been able to use his technical skills to compete and win. Winning for Graham is more than just winning the trophies; it's about making a difference in the lives of others.  

His mom, Amanda, teaches at the Reading Clinic in Brandon. She is the research mentor for the Energy Elites and helps them find field trips, meet experts, etc.  Graham's dad is Dr. Eric Peterson, head of the science department at Newsome High School.