THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604210103
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
In the year 2042, the tears that tug at heartstrings, the laughter that signals delight, are redundant.
The telling glance, the worried frown have no place in this hypothetical world of the future, for cybernetic machines have taken over the task of looking into the human soul. To know how your mate, your child or your fellow worker feels, you need simply log onto a ``zuga,'' listen for the pulse and measure rates of perspiration and respiration.
Right?
Wrong, says a team of Kempsville High School ninth-graders who went mind-to-mind with their peers Saturday in a Future Problem Solving State Bowl at Ocean Lakes High School.
Machines are no match for the senses, never will be, say the Kempsville kids. They'd augment zugapsychegenic technology - feelings shared by a machine - with an invention of their own - ``Big Red,'' a retinal-expression device that would enhance vision so that its wearer could detect a tear glistening on the brink of lid or lash, the infinitesimal quiver of a lip, and the emerging dimple of a cheek.
The futuristic scenario brainstormed by the Kempsville team - the 1995 state and sixth-place world champions - confronted 420 other quick-thinking students from 23 schools around the state.
They're the state's best, according to Dan Baise, state director for Future Problem Solving, an international group involving more than 200,000 students.
``It's a chance for a mental workout,'' said Baise, watching senior division skit competition get under way. ``Sports for the mind.''
Two Virginia Beach first-place winners in individual classes and four Virginia Beach kids who took a blue ribbon in team trials will travel to Rhode Island in June to match wits with other winners from around the world.
``I was blown away by the zuga,'' said Scott Sachs, self-described solution master for the Kempsville five.
``We get to go creative,'' said Andy Le, alternate for the team. ``But the main thing is to be humane, don't hurt anyone'' when determining the best solution to the problem devised.
``Our main problem was how to increase social relationships for those who use the zuga,'' said Eugene Kelly, as quick with a word as he is with a thought.
``It's the team thing - each step builds on the other,'' said Sarah Margulies, breathless from the news that the team had made the finals in skit competition Saturday. ``It takes all of our talents.''
``We couldn't do it on our own,'' said Amanda Dozier, who excels in the area of posing problems in the mock scenarios. ``We know how each other thinks.''
Some older high-schoolers, though, had a different take on possible problems posed by freely shared feelings that could occur in tomorrow's world of zugapsychegenics.
The Kempsville High School team - the new state team champions - would have a zuga that ``bleeps'' feelings when needed. In their skit, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton set off the machine's censor alarm twice, alerting them that they should stop being confrontational and instead work together.
And one team from the youngest set of brain children - the junior division of fourth- through sixth-graders - thought they had rung the bell when it came to solving the problem of cybernephobics, or the fear of high-tech gadgetry.
The Kempsville Middle School thinkers would provide ``cyberbears'' - futuristic versions of the good old teddy bear - to alleviate stress. ILLUSTRATION: WINNING PROBLEM SOLVERS
First place, individual competition, senior division: Antonia
Robinson from Green Run High School, Virginia Beach, coach Sue
Puckett
First place, individual competition, intermediate level: Jacob
Hicks from Kemps Landing Magnet School, Virginia Beach, coach
Jennifer Griffin
First place, team competition, senior division (new state
champions): Jennifer Dozier, Michelle Piccioni, Matthew Sachs and
Natalie Sidner of Kempsville High School, Virginia Beach, coach
Carolyn Stamm
above go to Rhode Island International finals)
2nd place team winners, senior division: Carissa Frasca, Leslie
Gregory, Emily Letts and Allison LaLonde of Kempsville High School,
coach Don Fuller (to be reevaluated for possible at large bid for
internationals)
by CNB