Students at Estevan’s Westview Elementary School have made it into the top 150 finalists for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge.
Shane Davenport’s Grade 7 class is looking at using the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to solve the downturn in the local economy, and the efforts have moved the class on to the next round of the competition.
The annual Solve for Tomorrow Challenge is geared toward Canadian students in grades 6 to 12 who find problems in their local communities and has them use STEM technologies to address the issues.
Davenport’s Grade 7 class and the other 149 finalists are now that much closer to becoming one of four regional winners, who’ll get presented with $20,000 Samsung technology grant packages.
The four winning finalists will also get a special event with Canadian rocket scientist Natalie Panek, who’s part of the Canadian contingent working on the European Space Agencies ExoMars rover.
“STEM is in everything I do,” said Panek, who’s also a Solve for Tomorrow Ambassador, in a press release.
“Especially evident with my recent work on the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Rover project, is that a career in STEM carries boundless opportunities.
“I’m so excited to meet these bright minds of tomorrow through Solve for Tomorrow—who knows, they might be the minds designing the next big space telescope or the spacesuits crew members will wear on a mission to Mars!”
All of of the 150 regional finalist schools will get a Samsung technology package, which includes a Samsung Gear VR and Samsung Gear360 camera to help them in finishing their next ‘assignment’ as part of the Challenge: documenting the execution of their community solution in a three-minute video.
Videos will go on to be reviewed by a panel of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow judges, with the top-scoring four schools being named Regional Winners in June 2017.
Mark Childs, Chief Brand Officer, Samsung Canada, said, “These 150 regional finalists embody what Solve for Tomorrow is all about: innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to the future of Canadian communities. As we celebrate Canada’s 150th this year, we are excited to see inspired student solutions come to life that will have local, national and even global implications.”
The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge aims to motivate STEM interest and 21st century learning opportunities in Canadian classrooms, which is an area of issue as less than half of Canadian high school students graduate with senior STEM courses though 70 per cent of top jobs demand expertise in science, technology, engineering and math*.
Together with Solve for Tomorrow ambassador, Paneck, and educational organizations The Learning Partnership and Let’s talk Science, the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Challenge hopes to spark Canadian students’ passion for STEM to solve tomorrow’s problems today.
Other examples of 150 Regional Finalist projects moving on include a mobile app to monitor water pollution levels, a fruit and vegetable production plan to spur healthy eating habits, and other innovative ideas.
