Bloom Science Teacher, Students Honored at City Council Meeting

A science teacher and his students were recognized by Mayor David Gonzalez at the Aug. 15 Chicago Heights City Council meeting.

Why? Because seven students were able to take an inventive approach to learning.

Chemistry and physics teacher Barry Latham secured a $10,000 grant from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through the Lemelson-MIT program to fund his students’ Solar Powered Oil Recovery Center.

The students completed the invention earlier this year.

"The SPORC will filter particulate matter from waste cooking oil, remove residual water and store it in a sealed container, preventing further water contamination and oxidation," Latham said .

One of the things the SPORC can do is filter out french fry remnants from cooking oil, all using solar power, according to Latham, . 

The project's team captain Lupe Avalos, an incoming junior at Bloom, joined Latham in excepting a certificate of recognition from Mayor David Gonzalez and Fourth Ward Ald. Josh Deabel.

The mayor congratulated Latham and his students while thanking Deabel, who is also a scientist, for calling attention to the project.

Among the other students recognized for their extensive work on the project were Moses Barrios, Vincent Redman, Michelle Pazelt, John Carvajal-Raga, Stephan Riley and Amos Adakale.