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U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) publicly praised a group of Porter High School students for winning the 11th annual STEM contest related to the production of resolutions to address real issues occurring worldwide.
"Sending a big congrats to the @PorterSpartans team for being named one of three national winners in the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow contest! With their win, they've received $130,000 more in technology for their school," Brady said. "Way to go! #TX08 is so proud of your accomplishments."
The teenagers submitted pitches to Samsung’s "Solve for Tomorrow" judges. As one of the Solve For Tomorrow winners, the Porter group earned $130,000 worth of Samsung technology for their engineering innovations, but the students say it's all about using STEM for good.
The local Porter students won for their app and website called Gen-Bridge, which helps seniors residing in assisted living facilities connect with others. The competition also allowed them to raise money to gift 17 tablets to nursing home residents to improve their communication.
Joining Porter in the winner's circle are Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, which created an app that records police interactions, and Hope of Detroit of Academy, which created an app that reports and tracks neighborhoods in need of a cleanup.
“I'm hoping it spans the nation and that all this isolation-induced depression gets eliminated or at least reduced by a great margin,” 10th grader Preston Simer said.
The contest, featuring students between sixth and 12th grade from all over the country, tests their ability to apply critical science, technology, engineering and math skills to real-life issues to promote positive contributions to their communities. Samsung's Ann Woo directs the competition.