By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

the future isn't written

Red Deer Grade 3s regional winners in long-running ExploraVision science competition

Mar 25, 2025 | 11:10 AM

What do mycelium, hemp and fire-retardant microcapsules have in common?

Believe it or not, they are the building blocks of a hypothetical technology which a trio of Red Deer Grade 3 students at Don Campbell Elementary hope could limit the extent of damage from future wildfire disasters.

The even cooler thing? Those grade threes designed it.

For their creation called BlazeBlock, Sofia Taha, Kason Sonnenberg-Trent, and Charlie Pilgrim, have been named regional winners in their age group for the 33rd annual ExploraVision competition.

ExploraVision is run by the U.S.-based National Science Teaching Association, and sponsored by Toshiba; it offers winners savings bonds, while national finalists earn a trip to Washington, DC in June for the awards presentation, and regional winners get a Chromebook for each participating student. Honourable mentions (those who get as far as being named regional finalist) also get a prize and certificate.

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As for BlazeBlock, the hypothetical product, in the girls’ words, is a: Fire-resistant hemp-based material with self-extinguishing technology. It features heat-activated microcapsules, smart sensors, and bio-engineered mycelium [part of fungi) to suppress fire upon high heat exposure.

Unlike traditional hempblock tech, the girls write in their project abstract, their creation actively fights fires, reducing damage and improving safety, with key breakthroughs being the nano fire-retardant capsules, and self-powered sensors.

BlazeBlock has the potential to revolutionize fireproof construction and protect wildfire-prone areas, they hypothesize.

“We use three things: fungus from mushroom roots, the microcapsules which pop open and release gel which then covers each block and pushes back the fire, and then there are the smart thermal sensors which warn when the fire starts, so it will call the fire department,” Sofia told rdnewsNOW during a recent visit to their school.

Kason explained where their idea came from.

L-R: Grade 3 teacher Melinda Powell, students Charlie Pilgrim, Kason Sonnenberg-Trent, and Sofia Taha, and team mentor Rabia Taha. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“We decided to do this because we saw all the fires in Jasper and California, and wanted to help people [to stop] their houses burning down,” she said. “People were in danger and BlazeBlock could [limit] the destruction. We felt sad for the people and we wanted to help them.”

Grade 3 teacher Melinda Powell, and mentor Rabia Taha (Sofia’s mom), have guided the girls along the way.

“They have done a lot of research, and come up with their scientific understanding of these products, and how they would work together. We haven’t been able to build a prototype yet due to the extensive nature of it, but we will be making one for the national level,” said Powell.

“It’s important to note this was their inspiration. They weren’t asked to do this. With mentoring from Mrs. Taha, they’ve worked extraordinarily hard on the design, and to come up with a concept that could be created. I am extraordinarily proud of them.”

Powell and Taha added that AI has been part of the design process.

They’ve also gone through the steps of eliminating certain aspects, such as a particular coating they believe would wear off easier, miniature water sprinklers embedded within each block’s walls, plus environmentally unfriendly chemical additives.

The girls’ research also took them through the history of hemp use, starting with its use in construction during ancient times, then in Roman shipbuilding around 500 BCE, then the discovery of hempcrete in the 1980s, and all the way forward to modern hempblock technology used today in building materials.

“I think it’s just fun to learn new things about places and to help other people,” Charlie said of her love for science. “I just want to help the world really, [and make sure] the future looks like a better place.”

ExploraVision organizers note that competition’s goal is for participants to envision the solutions to problems which may exist 10 years in the future, be they new or continuing. Winning regional teams are also tasked with building webpages and short videos to communicate their ideas to the public.

“For the last 150 years, Toshiba’s goal has been – and continues to be – envisioning, enabling and inspiring a more resilient, sustainable future,” said Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. “ExploraVision is one way we support that vision. Each year we’re thrilled with the unique ideas produced by the next generation of STEM leaders and look forward to continuing to foster a love for STEM in K-12 students in partnership with NSTA.”

Announced Tuesday, the Red Deer girls are up against other K-3 entries from Farmington, Maine, Powhatan, Virginia, Boca Raton, Florida, Edmond, Oklahoma, and Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

You can read about all the regional winners here.

More about the program is at exploravision.org.

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