Carthage Junior High School has been named one of 50 State Winners in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, receiving a $12,000 prize package. Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that challenges United States public school students in grades 6-12 to explore how the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their local communities.
The competition engages students in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value beyond the classroom.
State Winners participating in this year’s competition have boldly entered their game-changing ideas to tackle environmental sustainability, school safety, water conservation, health, and more. A full list of all 50 State Winners can be found at https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/.
STEM skills are key to a 21st-century workforce and new approaches in STEM education are vital. Between 2019 and 2029, the number of stem jobs will grow 8%, a higher rate than non-STEM jobs. (https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/why-computer-occupations-are-behind-strong-stem-employment-growth.htm) Solve for Tomorrow was designed to boost interest, proficiency, and diversity in STEM.
The field of 50 will be whittled down to 10 National Finalists who will pitch their project to judges during an in-person event in May. Judges will then name three teams National Winners, each of whom earns a prize package worth $100,000. The seven other National Finalists watch receive a $50,000 prize package. In addition, one of the 50 State Winners will be honored as a Sustainability Innovation Award Winner. The public will be invited to vote online for one Community Choice Winner and Samsung employees will name one team this year’s Employee Choice Winner. For more information on the competition/competition phases go to https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/.
Carthage Junior High students in Ms. Brownfield’s science class have designed a method to collect, filtrate, and distribute water harvested from the atmosphere. The students already have a water filter component built and in testing mode. They have received their video production kit from Samsung to produce and submit a three-minute video demonstrating how they are using STEM to address their community issue.
Ms. Brownfield’s class will be available to showcase their winning projects and ideas at the Carthage Chamber of Commerce First Earth Day Celebration in Central Park on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 am – 2 pm. The focus of this year’s celebration is water conservation and management. If the class video wins one of the 10 national spots and a $50,000 prize, the class will pitch their project to a team of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow judges at the Earth Day Celebration.
