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/.
