LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Greenbrier East High School has been named one of 10 national finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, receiving a $50,000 prize package.
Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can play in solving some of the most significant issues in their local communities. The competition engages students in active, hands-on learning applicable to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value beyond the classroom. National finalists participating in this year’s competition have boldly entered their game-changing ideas to address reducing food waste and insecurity, helping unhoused refugees, subway safety, accessibility, water quality and more.
The Greenbrier East High School InvenTeam is inventing a Digital Junction Tracker (DJT) for caves. The DJT is a digital beacon and receiver that will give spelunkers a more reliable way to find their way out of A cave. It will also act as a tracking device for rescue teams to find spelunkers who have lost their way, are injured or become stuck in a cave and need to be retrieved. Ultimately, the goal of the digital junction tracker is to save lives.
GEHS pre-engineering instructor Kevin Warfield states, “Most lost spelunker incidents arise due to insufficient preparation and cave knowledge. We believe we can create a technological solution to prevent cavers from getting lost and help facilitate their safe return to the surface. Our team has discovered that low-frequency radio signals work best when establishing a deep underground connection. These frequencies are detectable above ground. Transmitters are also used for cave rescues as they generate and transmit electromagnetic waves that carry messages to the surface. However, the transponders do not transmit between 9-15 miles above the ground. We hope to implement that technology at shorter distances underground to develop our tracking system. The biggest benefactors of a technological solution to this problem would be cave explorers/spelunkers and search and rescue teams.”
Warfield and the GEHS InvenTeam are excited to be among 10 national finalists who will head to a live pitch event on May 15 in Washington, D.C. Judges will select three national winners, each receiving $100,000 in prizes. One of the 50 state winners will be honored as the Sustainability Innovation Award Winner, receiving an added $50,000 prize package of eco-conscious classroom technology. The public will vote online for one Community Choice Winner from the pool of 10 national finalists, and Samsung employees will name one team for this year’s Employee Choice Winner. That honor earns the winning school an added $10,000 of Samsung technology on top of their national winnings.
Of the 10 national finalists, one Community Choice Winner will be named through online public voting, receiving an additional $10,000 in Samsung technology. To participate, view the student-created videos on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow website and cast your vote for Greenbrier East. Voting is permitted once daily until 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 15 at https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/.
Superintendent Jeff Bryant is thrilled with the news of the InvenTeam’s success, sharing, “Mr. Warfield and this talented team of students demonstrate that the STEM education provided in our school system is top-notch. It’s been an absolute joy to follow the success of these remarkable students who are so capable and driven to find solutions to real-world challenges. I encourage community members to visit the Solve for Tomorrow site to vote for and support our team. They truly deserve and have earned this national recognition.”
The complete list of 10 national fnalists and more competition information is available at https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/.
