Today, Samsung Electronics America, Inc., announced the 10 National Finalist schools and innovations in the 11th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a nationwide education competition which challenges students in grades 6-12 to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to address local issues and inspire change in their communities. These innovations – developed by bright young minds during a challenging and untraditional school year – demonstrate how STEM learning can take an idea and transform a community, while empowering students to make a difference despite the adversities they may face.
For the past few months, hundreds of students from every corner of the country have been building prototypes, apps and more – both virtually and in-person. The 10 National Finalist projects in this year’s competition were selected for their ingenuity in tackling some of the most critical issues of our lifetime, including COVID-19, social justice, sustainability and accessibility. Each school will receive $65,000* in Samsung technology and classroom supplies and will present their projects to a panel of judges to compete for the grand prize.
“Through the Solve for Tomorrow competition, we have seen firsthand how resilient students are, as these challenging times have proven to be a source of creativity and innovation for our National Finalists,” said Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Electronics America. “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenges students to create high-impact, functional solutions. While in virtual and hybrid learning environments, students had to be more nimble than ever to answer that call. These National Finalists represent hundreds of students and teachers who have worked determinedly to change the world, and we are proud to play a part in their journey.”
The 10 National Finalist classrooms will participate in a virtual pitch event at the end of this month where they will present their project to a panel of judges in hopes to be one of three National Winners and take home $130,000* in Samsung technology and classroom supplies. All are welcome to watch these remarkable students pitch their project ideas on Wednesday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. EDT at: www.SamsungSolveforTomorrow.com
The general public will also elect two Community Choice Winners from the pool of National Finalists to receive an additional $15,000* for their school. Anyone throughout the country can vote online for their favorite school and project. To participate, simply view the student-created videos on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow website and cast your vote. Voting is permitted once a day until 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 3, 2021.
2020-2021 National Finalists:
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School |
City, State |
Issue and STEM Project |
Video |
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Tulare Union High School |
Tulare, Calif. |
Traffic Collisions – Created an AI device for car dashboards that alerts drivers of stop lights, stop signs and other vehicles to help prevent traffic collisions at intersections. |
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Tucker Middle School |
Tucker, Ga. |
Human Trafficking – Designed a device for airplane bathrooms that alerts the flight crew of a human trafficking victim on board, while dispensing an adhesive RFID tracker chip to the victim. |
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Oswego East High School |
Oswego, Ill. |
Accessibility – Created a backpack with ultrasonic sensors that communicate surroundings to help people who are visually impaired navigate their environments. |
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Hope of Detroit Academy |
Detroit, Mich. |
Urban Sustainability – Developed an app to track and report abandoned homes and illegal dumping sites in Detroit to community groups that lead clean-up efforts. |
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Jackson Public Schools Career Development Center |
Jackson, Miss. |
Food Insecurity – Designed a refrigerated vending machine that uses AI to provide food to students experiencing food insecurity. |
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Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy |
Erie, Pa. |
Social Justice – Developed a voice-activated mobile app that turns phones into body cameras and dash cams to help protect people advocating for social justice. |
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Richland Two Institute of Innovation |
Columbia, S.C. |
COVID-19 Contact Tracing – Programmed microcontrollers with Bluetooth to sense and record close contact among students and staff to improve COVID-19 contact tracing in schools. |
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Porter High School |
Porter, Texas |
COVID-19 and Isolation-induced Depression – Created an app and website, Gen-Bridge, that enables students and others to connect with seniors residing in assisted living facilities, helping to combat isolation-induced depression. |
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Hickory Middle School |
Chesapeake, Va. |
COVID-19 and School Safety – Created a contactless, automated door opening and locking system activated by student badges to mitigate school security risks and the spread of disease. |
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Pineville Middle School |
Pineville, W.Va. |
Mining Accidents – Designed a device that detects high levels of methane underground to protect local miners working in hazardous conditions. |
Aligned with Samsung’s guiding vision of ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’, the Solve for Tomorrow competition was created in 2010 to encourage innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and teamwork to address the most pressing issues impacting society. Today, the competition is anchored in problem-based learning, fostering critical thinking and creative problem solving. Over the past decade, Samsung has awarded $18 million in technology and classroom materials to more than 2,500 public schools in the United States.
To learn more about the National Finalist schools, please visit www.samsung.com/solve or follow on Instagram @SolveForTomorrow. For official rules and judging criteria, click here.
*Prize is based on an estimated retail value. | Not open to the general public: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open to employees at eligible schools in the fifty (50) United States/DC twenty-one (21) years of age or older. To enter/official rules: visit www.Samsung.com/Solve to complete the application form. | The school is responsible for ensuring the proper handling and security of all data potentially shared and/or collected as part of their project. Samsung takes privacy very seriously and encourages all Semi-Finalists to consider how information that is part of their project is being handled. | The school is responsible for ensuring safety, security, bias and privacy matters related to artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their project. Samsung takes privacy very seriously and encourages all Semi-Finalists to consider all safety precautions related to their projects throughout development.
About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a leader in mobile technologies, consumer electronics, home appliances and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today’s technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products and services across mobile devices, connected appliances, home entertainment, 5G networks and digital solutions. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.
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