‘STEAM’ Students Impress at Samsung Developer Conference

Students from Nebraska, Arizona and New York, were invited to the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco to showcase their award-winning STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) projects. The students represented the three winning schools from last year’s Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, and spent two days at the conference, where they had their own booth displaying their winning projects to thousands of attendees, had the chance to be interviewed by reporters, and presented their projects to influential business and technology leaders.

After touchdown in San Francisco, the students were off on a whirlwind adventure, including a morning of TV and radio interviews with Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung. Reporters from across the nation asked the students about their winning projects, being named national winners and what their favorite experience from the competition was – from flying to Washington, D.C. to meet their congressional representatives, to winning technology for their classrooms.

“This past year has been incredible. I really can’t pinpoint a single experience that was better than the others, because they were all so different and challenged me in different ways,” explained Eric Crane, a student from Gering High School in Nebraska. “All I know is that after this year, I am more confident in myself and my abilities to impact the world, regardless of my age or experience.”

Eric Crane (front) and Payton Welfl (back), students from Gering High School in Nebraska show off their Solve for Tomorrow challenge winning idea at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Crane and fellow Gering High student Payton Welfl developed a drone-powered pesticide spraying system to target weeds and use fewer chemicals on crops. Samma Chowdhury and Teriqq Plowden from The Secondary School of Journalism shared more about the app they created, called Moesy, that helps fellow students in need get an after-school meal, that might have otherwise gone to waste, from local restaurants in their Brooklyn, New York neighborhood. Students Dylan Neff and Corynn Cotrell from Snowflake Unified School District in Arizona – the youngest winners from the competition – talked about their low-cost wildlife detection system, designed to alert drivers of animals crossing the road to mitigate accidents.

The students also met the president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, Tim Baxter, who congratulated them on their achievement and inquired about their individual projects. This encounter was especially touching for Neff who wants to pursue a career in consumer technology.

“I’ve always been interested in the sciences, but after participating in the Solve for Tomorrow contest, I know I want to pursue a degree in computer programming – hopefully at Samsung someday,” Neff explained. “It was so cool to meet Tim Baxter and have him ask about our school projects, it’s an experience I will never forget!”

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2016-17 winners pose for a photo with Tim Baxter, Samsung Electronics America Pres. & CEO, while attending the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco.

As for what’s next? Students from the Secondary School for Journalism are launching their app in New York this November; they hope to be able to expand to other cities in the near future. Snowflake Unified School District is working with the Arizona State Department to implement their wildlife detection system along highways in Snowflake, Arizona. Gering High School continues to work with their county and local farmers to further develop the drone-powered pesticide spraying system for use on crops.

“This entire experience has taught me so much about myself,” explained Plowden. “From the local level, this contest taught me how to work collaboratively with my classmates, and by the end of the experience, we really became a family. Being able to come together to help our fellow students, our friends, get a reliable hot meal every day and seeing the positive impact you have on their lives is a feeling you just have to experience to understand.”

Corynn Cotrell (left) and Dylan Neff (middle) explain their winning idea from the Solve for Tomorrow challenge to attendees of the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco.

The 2017-18 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest is currently underway and teachers can enter until Thursday, November 9^th at http://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/apply.html.