MTHS student earns silver medal at international science competition

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Mountlake Terrace High School sophomore Maya Allumada recently earned a Silver Medal in the Science category at the prestigious GENIUS Olympiad, an international competition celebrating student innovation and environmental problem-solving held annually in New York.

The news of her award was included in the Edmonds School District’s recent newsletter to families.

The award-winning project, “A Novel Approach to Revolutionizing Adolescent Scoliosis Treatment with Patient-Centered Smart Haptic Padding,” showcases an innovative biomedical engineering solution designed to improve the experience of adolescents undergoing scoliosis treatment.

Allumada’s invention, a lightweight and low-cost SmartPad that fits inside scoliosis braces, uses pressure and temperature sensors connected to a microcontroller to monitor brace conditions in real time. When prolonged pressure or heat may cause discomfort, the system provides gentle vibration feedback to help prevent pain and improve treatment compliance. By combining engineering, medical insight and patient-centered design, her project offers a promising advancement in making scoliosis care more comfortable, accessible and effective for young patients, the District newsletter said.