Tesla STEM team selected as regional winner of annual ExploraVision competition

Lake Washington School District is pleased to announce a team from Tesla STEM High School was selected as one of the competition’s regional winners of this year’s ExploraVision program. This is the largest K-12 science competition designed to build problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills.

Coached by Tesla STEM teacher Rebecca Townsend, seniors Shriya Krishnan, Shailja Tyagi, Rafael Reyes and Koji Hamanaka created a project called “Dermaplex: Adaptive Smart Patch for Burn Healing.” According to the students, Dermaplex is an adaptive microneedle patch for burn scar treatment. Dissolving microneedles made from hyaluronic acid and polyvinylpyrrolidone deliver anti-scarring medication over 12-24 hours, while embedded biosensors monitor inflammation and healing progress. An AI system trained on diverse skin tones personalizes treatment timing through a smartphone app.

If chosen in the next round, they will advance to the national phase of the competition, where participants will have a chance to win $10,000 in savings bonds and other great prizes. 

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision empowers young minds to imagine the future and create innovative solutions for the world’s challenges through this STEM competition. Using real scientific research, students outlined methods to plan and test their ideas. In the next phase of competition, the winning regional teams will be asked to build webpages and short videos to communicate and exhibit their ideas to the public.  

National winners will be selected by April 27 for a chance to attend the in-person Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards held June 3-6, 2026, in Washington D.C.