April 06, 2026
High school students from the AMP Lab at Electric Works in Fort Wayne swept the top prizes at Trine University’s annual high school Storm Tank competition on Feb. 25.
The competition drew about 50 project ideas from six area high schools. The top 20 projects moved on to the finals and the opportunity to present to a panel of judges.
Cash awards for Storm Tank are funded by a gift from Farmers State Bank.
Specialty game, bat, baked goods
Isaiah Clark won the first-place prize of $1,250 with BotMall, a browser-based game platform that uses AI to generate content. Designed to enhance face-to-face interaction, not screen time, BotMall serves families, teens and social groups that already gather in person.
Second-place winner of $1,000 was Ronan Wilkins with Monarch Bat Company. The company is developing a new wood bat that uses two different types of wood in the same bat to reduce the vibrations in the bat, which will increase durability and power.
Baylie Folster was the third-place winner, a $750 prize, with Baker's Heaven, which provides gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, nut-free and vegan products.
Finalists in the college and community category pitched their projects to judges on March 25.
About Farmers State Bank
Founded in 1915 in Stroh, Indiana, Farmers State Bank is one of northeast Indiana’s leading financial institutions and the Home of Blue Button Banking. With corporate headquarters in LaGrange, Indiana, Farmers State Bank has been providing banking and financial services to both consumers and businesses for over 100 years. To learn more, visit GoFSB.com.
Jennifer Rubenstein, a Trine University alumna with more than 20 years of experience in communications and relationship management, has joined the university’s Office of University Advancement as director of development.
Grace Larson, a Trine University psychology major from Alto, Michigan, is studying in Stockholm, Sweden, this semester. She arrived in January and will be in the country until May.
Students from Trine University’s TAO chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) took top awards at the organization’s national conference, held March 8-13 in Bloomington, Minnesota.