STEM competition for Form 1 and Form 2 students. As innovation rapidly changes our world, it is critical to prepare the next generation to not only adapt, but to thrive and excel in a technology-driven future. Committed to making this happen, Samsung Malaysia is running one of its global educational programs titled Solve for Tomorrow – a competition aimed at stimulating curiosity and cultivating interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, while inspiring students to help improve and fix issues faced by local communities through STEM’s innovative solutions.
“It is important for the next generations to come to be equipped with the fundamental skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to adapt to the technological change and benefit from the new opportunities technology creates. We believe in their potential to reach new heights of innovation, and to develop society-changing solutions. And Samsung is committed to helping them achieve this through the educational programs we run like Solve for Tomorrow,” said Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.
Solve for Tomorrow, a unique competition that fosters innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and teamwork, is carried out in partnership with Universiti Malaya STEM Centre. The competition is open to Form 1 and Form 2 students from participating secondary schools that Universiti Malaya STEM Centre regularly engages with to provide various STEM activities, helping them enhance their learning experience. The Solve for Tomorrow competition will kick off on October 9, 2020 and will culminate on December 8, 2020 with the announcement of winners.
Ir. Dr. Mas Sahidayana Mohktar, Head of Universiti Malaya STEM Centre remarked, "We have to enhance Science and Technology knowledge among our youngsters to solve unseen future problems. They can only paint a better picture if they are equipped with the correct tools, and the best way to ensure the mechanism is accurate is through Science and Technology education."
Participants of the competition are required to identify an issue faced by the community and develop a solution based on STEM technology. They can choose to propose the ideas focusing on any of the four themes, namely health, education, environmental and social issues. A team of three students will be required to send in a submission in a form of essays depicting the problem to be solved and how STEM can be a creative solution. At the second round, 10 teams that are shortlisted will be required to refine their ideas and showcase it through a PowerPoint presentation.
Three teams will be selected at the third round. They will be required to enhance their presentation with an option to create a prototype. Each team will need to submit a video recording of the presentation and the functions of the prototype. At the final stage, the three teams will battle it out to win the top prize worth up to a total of RM37,900 by impressing the judges with their innovative STEM solutions.
Winners of the competition will walk away with Samsung products for their respective schools and for themselves too. The first prize winning team will receive Samsung products worth up to RM16,900 that will be presented to the school while each student will receive up to RM7,000 worth of Samsung products. For the second prize, the team will receive products worth up to RM13,500 for their school while the students will each walk away with products worth up to RM6,000. The third prize winning team will receive products worth up to RM10,000 for their school while the students will win products worth up to RM5,400 each. The winners will be judged based on the relevance of issues, creativity, feasibility of ideas, application of STEM and presentation of innovative solutions.
“We believe the Solve for Tomorrow competition is an ideal platform for students to be exposed to science and technology; and harness their full potential through the use of technology. It is also an opportunity to engage and encourage students’ curiosity in STEM while making a difference in the society,” concluded Yoonsoo Kim.
What is the criteria of participation?
· Participants must be full time students in Form 1 and Form 2 from any of the participating schools.
· Each team should consist of three students from the same school
· Each school can be represented by more than one team
· One teacher can mentor one to two teams from the same school
· Students who are keen on participating can get in touch with their teachers who will be in contact with Universiti Malaya STEM Centre.
· Ideas submitted should apply STEM skills/knowledge and meet one of the four themes:
Ø Health
Ø Education
Ø Environment
Ø Social
What are the participants expected to do in this competition?
Identify one issue faced by the community and develop a creative solution based on their STEM knowledge.
Could you elaborate more about the competition?
· The competition will begin on 9 October and will culminate on 8 December with the announcement of winners
· Below are the respective phases:
Ø Phase One (9 October to 22 October)
§ Will kick off on 9 October
§ Each team will need to submit an essay of 100 words or less describing the problem they want to solve
§ They will also need to send a second essay on how STEM can be applied to address the problem in 200 words or less.
Ø Phase Two (28 October to 11 November)
§ At this stage, 10 teams will be shortlisted
§ They will need to refine their idea and show how it will be brought to life
§ The teams will need to share the work through a PowerPoint presentation.
Ø Phase Three (17 November – 4 December)
§ Top three teams will be further identified
§ The teams are required to enhance their presentation. They have an option of developing a prototype
§ They are required to submit a video recording of their presentation and the functions of the prototype.
Ø Finale Presentation and Prize Giving Ceremony (8 December 2020):
§ Teams will need to present to a panel of judges. First prize, second prize and third prize winner will be announced during the Finale Presentation.
· All entries from phase 1 to phase 3 will need to be submitted via email to solvefortomorrow.my@samsung.com
· The shortlisted teams will be notified via email /phone
· No entry fee is required for this competition.
What are the prizes up for grab?
Winners of the competition will stand to win prizes for their schools and for themselves
First prize
Ø Winning school will receive Samsung products worth up to RM16,900
Ø Each student will receive Samsung products worth up to RM7,000
Second prize
Ø Winning school will receive Samsung products worth up to RM13,500
Ø Each student will receive Samsung products worth up to RM6,000
Third prize
Ø Winning school will receive Samsung products worth up to RM10,000
Ø Each student will receive Samsung products worth up to RM5,400
Q9. How will the entries be judged?
The entries will be judged based on:
Ø Identifying the issues and relevance in addressing them
Ø Feasibility and elaboration of solution proposed
Ø Creativity and innovativeness of solution (uniqueness & originality)
Ø Use of STEM to solve the problem
Ø Presentation skills during the finale
They will each carry different weightage depending on the requirement for each phase.
Interested to know more about Solve for Tomorrow,
Website : www.samsung.com/my/solvefortomorrow/
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