Henrique Almeida

NASHUA – Three students at Nashua High School South were recently named national finalists in the 16th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition.

Students Kieran Besada, Henrique Almeida and Adrien Veroulis created a smart mirror system for students with special needs under the guidance of Engineering Pathways Teacher Teresa Rossetti and Occupational Therapist Dr. Traci Johnson. The smart mirror assists students with basic self-care tasks such as shaving and face washing.

“In the case of the face washing mode, the software highlights different areas of the face until it detects that you’ve cleaned the area,” said Besada.

To ensure privacy, Veroulis said the smart mirror does not record or store video footage of the user.

Almeida said the smart mirror has a dashboard component that occupational therapists can use to study hygiene data. That data is also fed into a Large Language Model which creates customized self-care plans.

Adrien Veroulis

Johnson emphasized the value of the smart mirror in a person’s daily life.

“This product is going to be fabulous,” she said. “It expands way beyond high school. Not only is it incredible to watch, but to know that it has meaning makes me all in.”

She also lauded Rossetti for her ongoing efforts to challenge and excite her students.

“Teresa is building confidence in these kids to go after these national competitions,” said Johnson.

For making it to the finals, Nashua High School South will receive a $50,000 prize package from Samsung. Besada, Almeida and Veroulis will present the smart mirror at the National Pitch Event on April 14 in Washington, D.C. for a chance at winning $2 million.

Kieran Besada

Besada, a senior, took part in last year’s competition. He and his teammates developed VerifAI, an information verification system, and were named the New Hampshire winners of Solve for Tomorrow.