STEMworks Solutions

The STEMworks Solutions program brings month-long, industry-based challenges to our STEMworks students who use STEM tools, engineering design thinking, and the entrepreneurial mindset to develop innovative solutions to real world needs.

How it works:

Industry partners provide:

• A problem or problems that needs a solution. These problems can be operational (how to achieve something more efficiently), technological (e.g. a new type of sensor), or cross-cutting (e.g. how to create more sustainable communities)

• Constraints to the challenge (e.g. costs limits for the solution or materials that can be used for the solution)

• Judges to decide on the best proposed solution

• 6-weeks of mentoring for the winning team to prototype, develop, and/or test their solution

• Prize (optional)

STEMworks provides:

• Consultation with industry partners to help shape challenges

• Graphics and marketing to local STEM talent to participate in the challenge

• Mentoring for participating teachers and students

• Coordination for registration and material submission

• Weekly professional development for participants relevant to the challenge topic to build career readiness skills

• Stipend for the 6-week internship

For more information, or to sign up as an industry partner, please email Katie Taladay at katie@medb.org.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

October 2022 IT/Cybersecurity Challenge

In partnership with Kama’aina Tech Solutions

Kama’aina Tech Solutions is a local IT company which specializes in providing IT and Cybersecurity solutions to Hawaii businesses. Both KTS and STEMworks are partners on a statewide IT sector partnership, which has determined that we need more local IT/Cybersecurity talent to fill the current and projected IT & Cybersecurity jobs across the state. Participants will have the unique opportunity to learn more about the state of the IT workforce in Hawaii, and using entrepreneurship strategies, develop a solution in the form of a business proposal. Students will consider the following questions: "What can you do to inspire young people to seek IT careers here in Hawaii?" "How can we create a more supportive culture for IT/Cybersecurity talent in Hawaii?".

Solution winner(s) will be invited to participate in a paid, 6-week internship with KTS to prototype and further develop their solution, and will also receive an additional prize (to be revealed later)!

Open to 9th - 12th Grade HIDOE student individuals and teams of up to four. Registration Deadline: October 5th: https://bit.ly/SSITCyber

Challenge In Progress!

September 2022 Healthcare Challenge

In partnership with Legacy of Life

Legacy of Life Hawaii is a Hawaii-based non-profit and is the only Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) permitted to operate in the State of Hawaii to recover organs for transplant. LLH not only recover major organs, but recover tissue, bone and ocular. They not only help save lives, but they help people live a physically higher quality of life. Your challenge is to help LLH respond more effectively and quickly to donor recovery opportunities. Solution winner(s) will be invited to participate in a 6-week paid internship with LLH to test their solution and will receive an Oculus Quest with a 3D Organ Anatomy program pre-loaded.

Open to 9th - 12th Grade HIDOE student individuals and teams of up to three. Registration Deadline: August 26th: bit.ly/SSOrganDonor

Sample of Past Challenges

February 2022 Agriculture Challenge

In partnership with Mahi Pono

Our February 2022 STEMworks Solutions Challenge invited Hawaii’s 9th-12th grade students and Hawaii’s undergraduate students to come up with solutions to the following problems that many Ag Industry Professionals face:

·    How to keep fruit trees upright with little to no windbreak

·    How to mitigate dust clouds from lack of ground cover

By participating in this challenge, students will have the opportunity to learn about the effects of wind on agricultural operations, learn from industry experts about agricultural topics and careers, and develop solutions to wind damage on farms.

PRIZES: all participants will receive mentoring and a participation certificate. The members of the winning team will be invited to join Mahi Pono for a paid summer internship to implement their solutions and split a $500 cash prize.

CONGRATULATIONS to the top three teams:

• 1st Place: Team SolarBreak with Edwin Barrett IV of King Kekaulike High School

• 2nd Place: Team Operation Fruity Paradise with Liam Baush, Jeremy DuPont, & Kaitlin Kitagawa of King Keakulike High School

• 3rd Place: Team Janessa. Jairo, Adrian, & Kalo with Jairo Baguio-Larena, Janess Baguio-Larena, Adrian Burke, & Kalo Kellow of Baldwin High School

The winning team were given a $500 cash prize to split among the team and offered internships with Mahi Pono to implement their solutions.

All submissions can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9324427

October 2021 Challenge: NeuroMaker Assistive Technology Challenge

In partnership with NeuroMaker: NeuroMaker STEM - Providing students with interdisciplinary learning based on real world applications

The STEMworks Solutions October, 2021 Challenge is an open design challenge for Hawaii’s middle school and high school students. The theme for this challenge is Unlimited Assistive Technologies. Students will form teams, conduct research on disabilities, design a solution using the NeuroMaker STEM Kit, build a prototype and then virtually submit their results in a short scientific report and video.

Your NeuroMaker Challenge:

• Research: Discover issues facing people with disabilities around the world and imagine what methods we can take to improve their life with technology. Use different learning resources to empathize with the issues facing people in this community.

• Define: Out of these discovered issues, choose one to focus your efforts. Identify the user, their needs and any insights that can provide design opportunities.

• Ideate and Prototype: Brainstorm different solutions to the issue you have identified. Using the NeuroMaker Hand, NeuroMaker BCI and other resources at your disposal, create material prototypes that demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.

• Refine and Present: Test your prototypes and document your learning and design process. When ready, create a video and written summary of your solution and submit these to NeuroMaker engineers for review.

• Recognition and Development: Attend our virtual awards ceremony and learn how others have solved the issues they have defined. Win cash prizes to further refine your solution and gain recognition from real assistive technology engineers.

By participating in this challenge, students will have the opportunity to investigate the connections between Biomedical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Programming, Neuroscience and more, while considering the needs of people with disabilities.

PRIZES: all participants will receive mentoring, STEMworks swag bags, and a participation certificate. The members of the winning team will have the option to choose from several prizes, including a paid, 6-week virtual internship with the NeuroMaker team, a relevant in-person lab tour in Hawaii (travel & expenses covered by STEMworks), and seed funding for prototyping.

CONGRATULATIONS to: Winning Team To Be Announced Soon!

To view all submission, please visit our Vimeo Showcase at: https://vimeo.com/showcase/9049342

April 2021 Challenge: Creative Media for Good Challenge

In partnership with Cropsticks: Innovative Chopsticks & Biodegradable Bamboo Straws Seen on Sharktank (cropsticks.co).

Our April 2021 STEMworks Solutions Challenge challenges Hawaii’s middle school, high school, and undergraduate students to generate creative media for TikTok that promotes sustainability in Hawaii. Cropsticks is challenging students to

·    BUILD THE HYPE: Create TikTok content to make positive messages trend.

·    Bring attention to Hawaii’s sustainability efforts using social media for good.

By participating in this challenge, students will have the opportunity to learn about social media marketing, digital citizenship, creative media techniques, and sustainability programs in Hawaii. They will be provided with industry expert mentoring from top talent management CLIQUE-NOW

PRIZES: all participants will receive mentoring, STEMworks swag bags, and a participation certificate. The members of the winning team will each be awarded a 25-pack of Cropsticks and a $200 restaurant gift card to their favorite local eatery to enjoy a celebratory meal together.

CONGRATULATIONS to the WINNING TEAM - “Four Ems” including Maureen Moreno, John Lewis Maneja, Dennis Rhodman Maneja, and Kate Denise Maneja of Keaau High School. As winners of this challenge, members of The four Ems received a $200 gift card to a local restaurant of their choice to celebrate their achievement! They also completed a paid 6-week summer 2021 internship with Cropsticks where they learned industry standard creative media techniques.

February 2021 Challenge: CubeSat Payload Design

In partnership with the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory

The February 2021 STEMworks Solutions Challenge invited Hawaii’s 7th-12th grade students to create a payload design for the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory’s CubeSat kit to benefit NASA’s Artemis Program.

By participating in the challenge, students had the opportunity to learn about the Artemis Program (our return to the moon) and CubeSats from subject matter experts; deep dive into remote sensing and satellite technologies; and generate innovative solutions to the optimal CubeSat payload challenge.

PRIZES: all participants will receive mentoring, swag bags and participation certificate. The members of the winning team will be invited to join HSFL for a paid summer internship to work with real CubeSats.

CONGRATULATIONS to the CubeSat Payload Design Winners: Jalen Matsuda Williams, Derek Takeno, and Justin Paul Alejo of Maui High School for their project titled: Exploring the potential of solar winds as a power source. This team will have the opportunity to build a CubeSat and prototype their payload during the STEMworks 2021 Summer Innovation Internship with mentoring provided by the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory. You can watch their winning pitch here: Maui High 2

All submission can be viewed here: STEMworks Solutions & Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory CubeSat Challenge on Vimeo

CONGRATULATIONS to the Mission Patch Design Winners: Jadynne Zane, MJ Dinong, Jenna Payba, and Erinrose Salacup of Maui High School.

October 2020 Challenge: Pots that Rot

In partnership with The Maui Nui Botanical Garden, KUPU, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, and Bizgenics Foundation

This STEMworks Solutions challenge asked students to use the engineering design process to create a biodegradable pot that could replace the plastic pots currently employed by the Maui Nui Botanical Garden nursery. In addition to creating their pots that rot, students used the BizzyB Fab Five Innovation Canvas to build their entrepreneurial skills and to frame their product pitch.

30 High School students from all islands representing seven teams completed the challenge. Checkout all their amazing pots that rot solutions here: VIMEO SHOWCASE

CONGRATULATIONS to the winning team: Sus-Attainable. These four inventors will now move onto the next round by joining Kupu and Kokua Hawaii’s Hawaii Youth Sustainability Challenge and they will be invited to participate in the STEMworks Summer Internship to virtually work with the Maui Nui Botanical Garden during the summer 2021 internship.