Central Piedmont STEM Tank Season 9 Highlighted Student Innovation And Focused On Real Problems
Students sharpened real-world research and presentation skills during STEM Tank Season 9, a campus competition focused on solving real problems.
The big picture
- Forty students competed on Friday, Apr. 17.
- Students presented research proposals addressing challenges on campus or in the surrounding community.
- Projects were evaluated by a panel of professional judges.
What students gained
- Critical-thinking skills through applied research
- Communication and presentation skills
- Professional development experience through workshops and mentoring
How it worked
- Students developed research-based solutions over the course of the program.
- Teams pitched their proposals during the final competition.
- Judges included:
- Mr. Earl Alexander
- Mrs. Laura Tucker
- Mr. Austin Perez
- Mr. Jordan Bertke
Winners
First place
- Project: The ReZO
- Students: Eliezer Valladolid, Iceland Alston, Justin Marquis and Sucheta Dharmarajula
- Student leader: David Diza
- Research mentor: Mrs. Serenity Stokes
Second place
- Project: Automated Waste Sorter
- Students: Fedor Fedorov, Darwin Iglesias and Carol Batidzirai
- Student leader: Bless Langmia
- Research mentor: Dr. Heather Song
Third place
- Project: SuperVAC
- Students: Evan Morgan, Kevin Martinez, Nathan Matuasilua and Luis Sanchez Grimaldo
- Student leader: Marino Marte
- Research mentor: Dr. Carl Arrington
The bottom line
- STEM Tank Season 9 highlighted student innovation while building skills that translate directly to academic and career success.