Advancing STEM Education
Seeking to aid the school and greater community by reducing the 1,440 gallons of lunch trash generated daily, Ms. Alexander’s Career Lab class developed a sustainable, STEM-driven solution that remains in use today – over a year after their initial competition entry! The project focused on:
- Composting Food Waste: Students separated cafeteria waste into compostable (fruits and vegetables) and non-compostable items, reducing landfill contributions.
- Creating a Mechanical Composting Bin: With the Robotics team’s help, a model of a mechanical, 3D-printed composting bin was created, designed to run on solar energy.
- Recycling Materials: In the future, plastics and Styrofoam will be repurposed into durable concrete pavers, blending innovation with sustainability.
The STEM solution resulted in compost that now fertilizes the school’s garden and greenhouse, and sparked a campus-wide waste-separation effort, showcasing STEM’s power to drive lasting, meaningful change.
Inspiring Future Career Paths
To ensure Newberry’s students can continue exploring innovative solutions to real-world problems, Samsung donated $10,000 on December 9 to further STEM education initiatives at the school. The funds aim to support ongoing projects that inspire hands-on learning and creativity in STEM.
Samsung hosted the students at the nearby Samsung Electronics Home Appliances America (SEHA) facility, providing an up-close look at how STEM drives innovation in the tech industry. The tour highlighted diverse career paths, showcasing how skills developed in the classroom translate into opportunities in the workforce.
“Between our SEHA facility and customer care center in Greenville, we believe it’s important to play an active role in engaging with the South Carolina community and helping prepare students for the future of work,” said Thomas Komaromi, General Counsel, Samsung Electronics Home Appliances America. “Through our donation and the facility tour, we’re proud to champion these students’ efforts and excited to see how they continue to explore STEM’s potential to shape the future.”
Teacher Heather Alexander expressed Newberry’s gratitude for the experience, saying, “Solve for Tomorrow brought together students of varying abilities to engage in STEM learning. The additional Samsung donation and facility tour will further fuel STEM education at Newberry High School and spark ideas for possible career pathways.”
All of us at Samsung can’t wait to see where STEM will take these students in the years to come!
To learn more about the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, please visit www.Samsung.com/Solve.
