Rogers-Lowell Area News

Arkansas Children’s Foundation Honors Student Inventors Tyler Duke and Mason Covington

For the first time in history, the Betty A. Lowe MD Award for outstanding service to children was awarded to children. Beebe students Tyler Duke and Mason Covington received the award for their efforts to prevent vehicular heatstroke in children. The award was presented at the Arkansas Children’s Forum, an annual meeting hosted by the Arkansas Children’s Foundation.

In 2016, Tyler and Mason invented a device in their Robotics and Engineering class at Beebe Junior High School to prevent hot car deaths in infant and toddlers. Their teacher, Tate Rector, encouraged his students to research and solve a problem. The boys discovered on average 40 children die each year due to vehicular heatstroke.

Moved to action by the national statistics, Tyler and Mason invented the Baby Saver 2000, a device that attaches to any car seat. The device registers weight in the car seat and temperature of the car. Once the car reaches a set temperature, a sensor in the key fob engages the panic button, alerting the owner of the vehicle.

“Innovation is essential in order to leap frog to the next level of care and achieve better health outcomes for children,” said Jay Deshpande, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. “These young men identified a problem that is a public health issue, discovered an intervention and then worked diligently to find a solution. They are very much deserving of this award.”

The Betty A. Lowe MD Award is given biannually to an individual or group who through personal initiative, service and leadership have made a significant contribution to the health and well-being of the children of Arkansas. Dr. Lowe served as the Medical Director of Arkansas Children’s Hospital from 1977 to 2001. In 1993, she served as the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics and was the first Arkansas and the second woman in the nation’s history to hold this title.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to celebrate Dr. Betty Lowe and her legacy to children’s health,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Foundation. “We are thrilled to recognize Tyler and Mason for their dedication to creating a healthier tomorrow for the children of Arkansas. They are truly champions for children.”

Arkansas Children’s also presented the young inventors with a $10,000 check from the Jonathan M. Bates Center, an endowment created to improve children’s health in Arkansas. The funds will be used to present the product to market, providing families around the U.S. with this life-saving technology.
Past Betty A. Lowe Award recipients include:

2015: Peggy McCall, Miracle League of Arkansas
2014: Anne Hickman
2013: First Lady Ginger Beebe
2012: Ray Hanley
2011: Sister Joan Pytlik
2010: Bettye Caldwell, PhD
2009: Robert H. Fiser, Jr., MD
2008: Patrick Casey, MD
2007: Roger Bost, MD
2006: Betty Bumpers
2003: Patricia Youngdahl, PhD
2002: Amy Rossi

Arkansas Children’s, Inc. is the only hospital system in the state solely dedicated to caring for children, which allows the organization to uniquely shape the landscape of pediatric care in Arkansas. The system includes a 336-bed hospital in Little Rock with the state’s only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center, burn center, Level 4 neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care, and research institute as well as a nationally-recognized transport service. It is one the 25 largest children’s hospitals in the United States and is nationally ranked by U.S. News World & Report in pulmonology, neonatal care, cardiology and heart surgery and urology. A sister campus is under development in Northwest Arkansas and will bring 233,613 square feet of inpatient beds, emergency care, clinic rooms and diagnostic services to children in that corner of the state. Arkansas Children’s also blankets the state with outreach programs that include telemedicine, mobile health, and school-based health solutions. A private nonprofit, Arkansas Children’s boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking research and is committed to providing every child with access to the best care available, regardless of location or resources. Founded as an orphanage, Arkansas Children’s has championed children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow for more than 100 years. For more info, visit www.archildrens.org