Samsung Canada has unveiled the twelve regional finalist schools in the 10th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, a national initiative that challenges students to apply Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to solve real-world challenges in their communities. With a total of $125,000 in prizing across all finalists and winners, this year’s competition is focused on three key themes: sustainability, equity-seeking groups and health.
“It’s truly inspiring to see the ingenuity and creativity shown by these bright young minds,” said Brian Shin, Samsung Electronics Canada President & CEO. “At Samsung, we are committed to fostering STEM education that goes beyond the classroom, one that empowers students to transform their communities and solve global challenges. These students are envisioning a better future and actively building it.”
The twelve regional finalist schools and the challenges they are attempting to solve are:
Aldershot School (Burlington, ON): Employing the quantum monte-carlo method, students proposed a more effective method to identify faults in photovoltaic farms.
Allan A. Martin Senior Public School (Mississauga, ON): To avoid the environmental consequences of mining lithium for batteries, students proposed creating aqueous magnesium batteries as a more sustainable alternative.
Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School (Milton, ON): To reduce food waste and food insecurity, students proposed an app to connect individuals in need to businesses donating excess meals or groceries.
École Publique aux Quatre Vents (Parry Sound, ON): Recognizing a lack of proactive methods to detect issues in the ocean, students proposed the development of a smart buoy to track the conditions of the Georgian Bay in real-time.
Elsie MacGill Secondary School (Milton, ON): As an alternative to fossil fuels, students proposed kinetic plates to convert kinetic energy to electricity to sustainably power homes and their city.
Grandview Heights Secondary School (Surrey, BC): To raise awareness to the dangers of vaping, students proposed to create an app to evaluate lung health and encourage users to quit through the tracking of streaks.
Merivale High School (Nepean, ON): To prevent electricity waste, students proposed a smart lighting system with a machine learning module that adjusts to environmental conditions and user preferences.
Port Credit Secondary School (Mississauga, ON): To reduce the reliance on HVAC systems, students proposed creating heat-absorbing bricks that would release the stored heat during peak energy usage hours.
Saint John Paul II Catholic Secondary School (Scarborough, ON): To reduce plastic waste, students proposed a recycling system to convert plastics in usable 3D print filaments.
STEM Innovation Academy High School (Calgary, AB): To promote increased autonomy for wheelchair users, students proposed a headband that reads the user’s brain waves to operate the wheelchair.
Thomas A. Blakelock High School (Oakville, ON): To reduce the instances of marine bycatch, students proposed magnetized fishing nets that sends warning signals to repel sharks.
Unionville High School (Markham, ON): Acknowledging the declining number of Ontario’s farms and farmers, students proposed an AI-powered farming app to enhance efficiency and sustainability while relieving the work load of farmers.
The twelve schools will now advance to the next stage of the competition, where they will collaborate with Samsung mentors to refine their project ideas, as well as gain expert insights and strategic feedback on their proposed solutions. As part of their development, they will also attend a Design Thinking masterclass led by The Knowledge Society, equipping them with advanced problem-solving skills. To compete for one of the four available spots as a national finalist, each twelve regional finalist will submit a five-minute video presentation of their idea, which will be evaluated by a panel of judges in April 2025.
The Judges:
To learn more about Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, the finalist projects, and how Samsung is promoting the future of STEM in Canada, visit www.samsung.com/ca/solve