Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Champions: Pioneering Solutions for Local Challenges

 After an extensive nationwide search and over 200 entries submitted, three teams emerged as champions for the first ever Solve for Tomorrow competition in the Philippines, a global program that aims to empower young innovators with opportunities to come up with ideas to solve societal challenges and be the drivers of positive change in their local communities.

Chosen from a group of 10 finalists, the winners emerged after mentorship sessions and presentations to a distinguished panel of judges. In the end, two teams from Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus and the team from Bansud NHS - Regional Science High School in Oriental Mindoro Bansud NHS - Regional Science High School in Oriental Mindoro came out on top with innovative solutions to solve problems they’ve observed in their communities.

Conserving Energy with Intellimeter

This year’s Grand Prize winner hailed from Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus, with members Ethan Marc L. Bautista, Resha Amora I. Gaspar, Zion Mhar Kaezer P. Corpuz, Enzo Miguel E. Abad and adviser, Bryle C. Eusebio.

The inspiration behind their proposal came from an issue quite prevalent among many Filipino households – the high-power energy consumption and costs in our homes and the news of houses burning down due to forgotten plugged appliances.

“So that’s why we wanted to create this solution, to help the community in saving money from their power consumption while also lessening the risks of fire hazards,” shared Enzo Miguel E. Abad.

Their entry “Intellimeter - Smart Electric Management System with App Interface” focused on the energy problem, and proposed a smart electric management system operated via an app. The solution aims to improve energy efficiency, help the sector manage energy deficits, and help to mitigate climate change.

“Intellimeter is a smart electronic management system with a built-in app. So how does it work? We can implement Intellimeter into any distribution panel in any building. When it’s connected to the grid, there’s an AI that can give suggestions on how to save electricity,” explained Ethan Marc L. Bautista.

While the competition was challenging as the team quickly put together a prototype for the judges, Enzo shared how much fun they also had in making the project and thanked Samsung and the judges for the experience. “Thank you to Samsung Philippines for hosting this once in a lifetime opportunity encouraging students like us to find innovative ways to help our country move to a better tomorrow,” he said.

As Grand Champions, the team received Php 650,00 worth of tablets and a TV for the school, Php 100,000 for the team members, Php 20,000 for the teacher, and Samsung phones and tablets for team members and their teacher.

Sea-ing a Bluer Future with Project Oasis

The second prize winners were from Bansud NHS - Regional Science High School in Oriental Mindoro, with members Ezekiel M. Agarap. Carmelo Gian B. Domingon, Zayra Bhea L. Caguioa. and their adviser, Karen Clyde M. Obo, and their adviser, Karen Clyde M. Obo.

Their solution stemmed from problems observed with plastic pollution, especially with Oriental Mindoro being an  island whose economic agriculture rests upon the land and the sea.

“In the ocean alone, our shores are more than often affected by plastic pollution. Not only that, we are also one of the many provinces affected when there is an oil spill along the Verde island seas,” shared Resha. “Not only do these problems affect the nature where we live, it adversely creates more problems for locals. Not only for fisherfolks but also for Mindoreños,” the team shared.

Their entry “Project O.A.S.I.S.: Oil and solid waste Agricultural absorption System with Integrated Solar-power via Filtration Bin Technology” focused on creating a filtration system to remove oil and microplastics from the ocean, thus, helping to communities “sea” a bluer future.

“Mindoro being home to hectares of farmland of banana and corn, we've utilized them in a water vehicle that collects both plastic and oil along the ocean surface. While this project may still be small, it can, and it will provide a great aid of mitigation for the shores of Mindoro,” they explained.

Solve for Tomorrow was a truly powerful experience for the students. “Standing up in front of the judges, sharing our project, and feeling their excitement was such a rush—it made us believe in the power of what we were doing given that it was our first research competition.… it was an experience to be done all over again,” they said.

As second place winners, the team received Php 350,000 worth of Samsung devices for the school, Php 75,000 for team members, Php 15,000 for the teacher, and Samsung phones and tablets for team members and their teacher.

From Trash to Treasure with Tompost

The third prize winners were also from Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus, with members Aliyah Kaye P. Alejandro, Princess Alyssa D. Cudal Tyrone B. Liquigan Cedrick Alexis M. Rivera and their adviser, Jerickson S. Chua.

Having an interest in the overall concept of agricultural wastes, which was relatively common in their province, Nueva Vizcaya, was the starting point for their project's development.

“We did an additional study on the subject and found that the most evident problem at the time was the overabundance of tomatoes. We realized that these tomatoes may be repurposed for something better rather than being wasted,” they said.

Their entry “TomPost: Agricultural Waste Compost Processor” focused on the serious problem of waste in the agricultural sector, helping them to manage waste by repurposing tomatoes and other agricultural waste into compost and other products. This not only provides a sustainable solution to waste but also helps farmers to minimize their losses and increase their profit.

“We started this since agriculture is very beneficial in our society, and we, the people who benefit from it, must preserve, protect, and take care of it,” they added.

On being named one of the winners of the competition, they shared that, “Winning this year's Solve for Tomorrow competition is an unforgettable achievement … It proves that even at a young age, we can make a difference in our community using the skills and knowledge we have acquired. It has further encouraged us to continue innovating solutions for a better tomorrow.”

As the third place winners, they received Php 150,000 worth of Samsung devices for the school, Php 50,000 for team members, Php 8,000 for the teacher, and Samsung phones and tablets for team members and their teacher.

Meaningful innovations for a better tomorrow

Since its global launch in 2010, Solve for Tomorrow aims to provide opportunities for top students to transform emerging ideas into actions and unlock their full potential as future leaders for a brighter future. Solve for Tomorrow has successfully helped over 2 million people and has reached beyond the boundaries of 50 other countries, including the Philippines, as the latest addition this 2023.

Launched with the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Solve for Tomorrow is part of Samsung’s CSR vision of Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People. Its mission is simple: to empower and support the next generation to achieve their full potential and pioneer positive social changes.

For more information on Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow program in the Philippines, you can visit https://www.samsung.com/ph/solve-for-tomorrow/. To explore more on Samsung’s technology, please visit https://www.samsung.com/ph/.