Linkhorne Middle School student Kalisteth Burrows won second place in the Nuclear Science Week Design-a-Sticker Contest, sponsored by Framatome’s Women in Nuclear chapter. Her creative design stood out among entries from students all over Virginia and Massachusetts. She won a $75 Amazon gift card.
“I’m very proud of myself for placing second,” Burrows said. “I had previously won an art contest, so I thought I might do well in this one. I was still surprised when I heard that I came in second.”
This isn’t the first time Burrows has come out on top in an art contest. She previously won first place in a t-shirt design contest at her school.
“I used to believe I wasn’t a good artist until I had a friend who was, and I practiced and practiced to get better at art and design. Every compliment and award I receive, no matter how big or small, reminds me of my artistic abilities,” Burrows said.
Burrows’ science teacher, GiGi Sweeney, encouraged her class to enter the contest as a way to mesh STEM with art in one cross-curricular project. Burrows used her knowledge of nuclear energy—and some stellar branding instincts—to create a winning design.
“I wanted to make nuclear power look like clean energy, not look scary. So I tried to use bright colors and a simple little slogan. I tried to have it show that nuclear power does have its cons—you can see that in the nuclear power symbol, which people can find frightening or bad—but it also has its pros,” Burrows said.
Art contests like this one help connect classroom learning to real-world applications. They also give students opportunities to engage with local employers like Framatome, a leader in the nuclear energy sector.