Lawrence Woodmere Academy students develop award-winning scoliosis treatment

Hamlet JiaMingzhen, a Lawrence Woodmere Academy sophomore is continuing his part in creating a tool that changes the game for those who suffer from scoliosis.

SRINIVASA, a wearable device combining support, improper posture detection and exercise plans for scoliosis patients, was his invention pitched as part of the Conrad Challenge China Chapter by JiaMingzhen and his two teammates — Rick YangJingyuan and Mas ZhuYucheng — earning them the Silver award.

The medical device is named after Srinvasa Varadhan, an Indian American mathematician. SRINIVASA stands for Spirit Resilience Insist Natural Innovate Valuable Aspiring Sparkle Ambition.

John Tiliakos, the middle school and upper school computer science teacher at LWA, learned of JiaMingzhen’s invention when the student was entering the school in Woodmere.

“I found out about the project because of Doctor Olga,” Tiliakos said of Olga Pagieva, the international student support program director. “She brought it to my attention, she does anytime students have an interest in engineering.”

JiaMingzhen started at LWA in January.

“I transferred after they began this school year because of my visa,” JiaMingzhen said. “January 22 was my first day in school.”

JiaMingzhen and his teammates, Mas ZhuYucheng, and captain Rick YangJingyuan developed their invention last November. The three met at Xi’an Gaoxin No. 1 High School in China.

“Our captain, he started this project when he was studying in Shanghai, he brought the product back and we gathered together to discuss it and decide what we would do next,” JiaMingzhen said. “We spent five months to finish our product.”

ZhuYucheng who suffers from the disease, inspired their work.

“Our team leader suffers from scoliosis and had to wear a torso brace for hours a day,” the group wrote in their challenge submission document. “To save Yucheng and other scoliosis patients from the painful treatment, we thought of developing a new way to cure scoliosis.”

Over four million cases of scoliosis exist in the United States annually, the team learned. They found that treatment is typically a brace that must be worn over 20 hours a day, which might be painful and uncomfortable the team said. They also found that teens suffering from scoliosis have a hard time finding time for exercise to treat their condition.

Their invention has a minimal volume design for comfort and function, the group said.

The Conrad Challenge, where JiaMingzhen submitted his idea is a global competition where students ages 13 to 18 in groups of two to five can compete. The China chapter was established in 2020 and the Gold winner in the chapter goes on to the 2024 Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit in Houston hosted by Space Center Houston.

“We are inspired by the work of Nancy Conrad who is a transformative leader in space education, and will continue to keep her vision alive by bringing people and space closer together,” William T. Harris president and CEO of Space Center Houston said in a statement to the Herald.

JiaMingzhen and his teammates took part in the Health & Nutrition category. In March, JiaMingzhen’s dedication to his invention brought him back to China where he presented it to judges.

Tiliakos said JiaMingzhen had the chance to work on the project in class regularly.

“I shared it with the class and there was silence in the background,” Tiliakos said. “The excitement was unbelievable. The students were praising him.”

Next up, JiaMingzhen is applying for a patent with his team, in hopes of getting their invention into a bigger market, with the help of health licensing he said.