One school in every state and Washington, D.C. will be awarded $20,000* in technology to support STEM learning
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., December 12, 2014 – Samsung today announced the 51 state winners in the Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a nationwide competition to raise enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by challenging students and teachers to tackle critical issues across the country. One school in each state, and the District of Columbia, will each receive $20,000* in technology – including a Samsung GALAXY Camera™ 2, ATIV Book 9 laptop and Adobe Elements software – to complete the next phase of the competition.
The 51 state winners, listed below, were chosen from a pool of more than 3,100 teachers for their use of STEM skills to address issues that affect their lives and their regions. Topics ranged from water pollution to air quality to public health epidemics. To become a state winner, the teachers submitted lesson plans that illustrated how they would execute their ideas.
“We believe that applying science, technology, engineering and math to real-world challenges can be a powerful tool to engage youth in STEM subjects,” said Ann Woo, director of Corporate Citizenship for Samsung Electronics North America. “We congratulate this year’s state winners on their creative ways to help improve their communities while teaching the leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to watching as their projects evolve.”
In the next phase of the contest, the state winners will work with students to bring the ideas to life. The teams will create videos of their projects, and in February, 15 of the teams will be named national finalists. Following the announcement, the national finalists will present their projects to a live panel of judges in March. Five national grand prize winners will then be selected by a panel of judges, Samsung employees and public online voters.
Additionally, three special awards will be given to contestants in the 51 state winner pool for their pioneering use of math, environmental innovation or civic engagement by DIRECTV, the National Environmental Education Foundation and Digital Promise, respectively. During the competition, approximately $2 million* of prizes will be presented by Samsung, Adobe, DIRECTV, Fortune, PBS TeacherLine, the National Environmental Education Foundation and Digital Promise. In addition to technology, each teacher who entered the contest received a professional development class from PBS TeacherLine.
The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest was created in 2010 to encourage innovation while addressing the technology gap in classrooms across the country. The competition is a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow initiative which aims to engage students nationwide in active, hands-on STEM learning. Since 2010, Samsung has invested more than $17 million in support of STEM education to schools, students and teachers across the United States.
The 51 state winners are:
To learn more about the competition, please visit: http://www.samsung.com/solve
*Estimated Retail Value
About Samsung Electronics North America
Samsung Electronics North America (NAHQ), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is an arm of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung’s North American brand management including Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC and Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, Samsung is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com. You can also Fan Samsung on www.facebook.com/SamsungUSA or follow Samsung via Twitter @SamsungTweets.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, tablets, personal computers, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com
