Downtown Doral Charter Upper School is the State Winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition.
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Downtown Doral Charter Upper School was selected as the State Winner for Florida in the 14th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) competition. Each State Winner wins a package of $12,000 in technology for their school.
State Winners were selected from among 300 State Finalist public middle and high schools who submitted detailed lesson plans outlining how their students propose using STEM to address an important community issue. Sustainability, public health, and accessibility featured prominently in the solutions outlined by the State Winners, as were projects that had cultural significance, such as those dedicated to preserving endangered crops of cultural importance to communities and safeguarding endangered indigenous languages.
For the competition, Downtown Doral Charter Upper School is developing a solar-powered base fan that will connect the solar-powered fan to a LiDAR sensor for bus and trolley stops all around Doral in order to detect when people step into the stop and activate the fan. The sensor is used in order to save energy and this solution will help decrease the yearly amount of heat-related illnesses in their community.
Gen Z’s Commitment to Community Through Innovation
Ann Woo, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America, noted: “Working with students involved with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, we’ve heard time and again that helping people in their local communities and society at large are key motivators.
That’s certainly borne out by this year’s round of Gen Z-led STEM projects, where roughly one-third of our finalists are focused on solving public health issues, and another third on promoting environmental sustainability. Accessibility for people with disabilities, public safety, and agriculture were also top trending projects.”
Upcoming Competition Phases
Each State Winner will receive a Samsung video production kit to document their project and create a three-minute video showcasing their STEM solution for the community issue.
10 National Finalists will be selected in late-March and each awarded a $50,000 prize package.
Then, in April, Solve for Tomorrow will name three schools as National Winners, each of whom will receive $100,000 in prize packages consisting of Samsung tech and classroom supplies.