All-Female Engineer Team At San Fernando H.S. Invents Solar-Powered Tent For Homeless

SAN FERNANDO (CBSLA) — From coding and electrical wiring to sewing, a team of all-female engineers at San Fernando High School can do it all.

They have built a solar-powered tent for the homeless. They thought of everything, from insulated fabric and solar panels to a safety locking system and a UV system to sanitize the tent.

"How many people are actually trying to help them [the homeless] or make them feel better? Letting them know that people still care about them, and they are still human," said 12th-grader Daniela Orozco.

The students are one of 15 teams of young inventors in the United States to receive a $10,000 grant from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to solve real-world problems through engineering. They are the only all-female team.

The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant offers high school students a rewarding hands-on experience to invent technological solutions to real-world problems of their own choosing.

"A lot of our young girls, who originally or normally would not think about engineering or science, are inspired to do so for next year," said Violet Mardirosian, coordinator of the school's math, science and technology program.

The work of this inspirational team culminates in a trip to MIT in June to showcase their invention.

In order to make it to the Boston area, the girls need to raise at least $15,000. They have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for their trip.

"It's not about us. It's not about what we do or how great we can be. It's what we can do to make this world a better place for these people, a better place for everyone," said 12th-grader Maggie Mejia.

The girls said they are determined to make the trip to MIT happen.