Project Details
[Return to Previous Page]Safety badge creation
Company: Keith E Gunuskey, dba Gunuskey Investments
Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: EE
Optional: ED
Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO
Intellectual Property: YES
In the history of education, there has never been such a focus on school safety- and with good reason. School violence, particularly, circumstances involving weapons have been consistently increasing over the years, both in the K-12 and postsecondary institutions. Fortunately, most states have designated annual funding streams to help support schools and keep schools safe! Many upgrades of building security measures are being proposed, funded, and implemented. Physical building safety is important; however, I believe the one area of safety that is being overlooked is PERSONAL SAFETY! Thought and creativity must be attributed to devising personal devices or equipment that individuals can always have on their person, which can save their life! As a 32-year nationally certified firefighter and 25-year educator (currently Superintendent), I have felt the need to apply my two worlds of knowledge (firefighting and education), in an effort to make schools safer. In the firefighting spectrum, only having two hands is very limiting, which is why the fire service has brought to market many tools that perform numerous functions. It is this “swiss army knife” mentality that led me to the invention of a safety product that I believe reaches far beyond the education world. All students and staff typically have/wear an identification badge. Instead of having a badge that only completes one function, my vision is to create a badge that has many safety options built within. An LED flashlight, audible alarm, window punch, seatbelt cutter, medical card, key chain, pen, id badge holder and mirror backing comprise the badge. The application of this safety device is further reaching than schools, as it would be applicable in government buildings, for college students, or anyone who would like a small, lightweight, compact, and multi-use safety device that can truly safe a life! At this time, I have a general idea of the design of the badge, with colorful pictures and a 3-d printed model; however, I have not been able to add all of the aforementioned components. There may be a need to redesign/reconfigure the badge that I envision to accommodate all of the components. I look forward to working collaboratively with a team of students to create a working prototype that can be manufactured and utilized throughout our schools and in the general public.
