Howick College welcomed representatives from the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) teams to launch the 2023 Steam Solve for Tomorrow competition.
The competition, in its third year, challenges New Zealand’s next generation of innovators to change the world for good by solving an issue in their community.
It uses science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths (STEAM) as well as using design-thinking principles.
Entries are open, and students in years five to 10 are eligible to enter as individuals or groups of any size.
Upon his visit on May 11, MOTAT educator and Howick College alumnus, Michael Grimmer (1997), challenged students to consider how society is impacted by the effects of flooding and come up with innovative solutions based on a six-step design thinking process – empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test, implement.
Last year, Howick College’s talented team of year nine creative design students, Htet Waiyan, Eva Malez, Lennox Dilworth and Kurt Marshall, took out first place and a prize package valued at $12,000.
They created a “Non-Invasive Diabetics Device” from scratch, which aimed to devise a more practical and less invasive way for diabetics to measure their glucose levels.
“What was exceptional about the Non-Invasive Diabetics Device was not only did this group ideate a breathing device and app to measure blood glucose levels for diabetics, they prototyped it, too. The science behind this idea is incredible and I haven’t seen anything like it,” said associate professor Siouxsie Wiles, Solve for Tomorrow 2022 judge.
Joining Wiles on the judging panel is celebrity scientist Dr Joel Rindelaub, deputy chair of Technology Education New Zealand, STEM and technology specialist Sarah Washbrooke and education lead at MOTAT, Julie Baker.
The cut-off date for students to submit their final entry is September 4 and the winning individual or team will be announced in late September.
To find out more, visit https://www.motat.nz/solve-for-tomorrow/samsung-solve-for-tomorrow-competition/
