By John Dobberstein, Editor
Samsung announced a list of state finalists in the company’s Solve For Tomorrow national STEM competition, and Broken Arrow’s Sequoyah Middle School is one of five finalists from Oklahoma.
The other state finalists are Butner Public Middle/High School (Cromwell), Durant High School (Durtant), Gracemont High School (Gracemont) and the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (Oklahoma City).
A spokesperson for Samsung said the project Sequoyah Middle School is working on has to do with drones and is connected to dozens of homes that were destroyed by tornadoes last year.
“We know that drones can help determine how much damage is done by flying over areas that are difficult to get to due to roads being flooded or trees that are toppled over,” the spokeswoman said of Sequoyah. “The team of students is learning to build drones, fly them, study various careers and learn how drones will help the future.”
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition designed to empower students in grades 6-12 to “unleash the power of STEM to create innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities,” the company says.
The competition engages these Gen Z and Gen Alpha students in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value both in and outside of the classroom.
Some 300 state finalists were chosen from thousands of U.S. entries, with 60% from Title 1 schools. This year’s entries highlight common student concerns nationwide: the climate crisis, mental health and wellness and school safety. About 60% of the students’ STEM solutions use emerging technologies like AI, 3D printing and robotics.
The competition advances to its next phase, culminating in April with the selection of three national winners each receiving a $100,000 prize package.
For the next phase, teachers must create a focused activity plan that outlines how students will execute their STEM project by defining the community problem, proposing a STEM-based solution, specifying objectives, detailing activities to reach their anticipated goals, and articulating the expected positive impact their solution will bring to the community. Based on these activity plans, judges will select State Winners, who will be revealed in March 2025.
Each State Finalist school has won a $2,500 Samsung technology prize package. The full list of State Finalists can be viewed at Samsung.com/Solve.
The competition engages Gen Z and Gen Alpha students to catalyze positive change by applying Problem-based Learning (PBL) principles, environmental stewardship, and social impact entrepreneurship to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges. By promoting active, hands-on learning, Solve for Tomorrow “makes STEM more tangible for young learners, and opens doors to future opportunities in STEM education and careers,” the company says.
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