Two teams from the NCCA STEM Institute have emerged as state finalists in the 14th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, securing their position among the top 300 teams nationwide. 

These teams are not only recognized at the national level but also stand out as two of the six finalists from the state of Georgia.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that aims to empower students in grades 6-12 to harness the potential of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) to devise innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities. By applying principles of problem-based learning, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurship, public middle and high school students are encouraged to catalyze change and address society’s most pressing challenges.

“In Georgia there were six teams selected for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow finalists and NCCA has two of those six teams, so we’re pretty excited to represent a third of the finalists here in Georgia,” said Laura Lambert, NCCA STEM Institute program coordinator. “Each of those teams has won a $2,500 Samsung prize package for our school so they’ve already won $5,000 in gear for our school. They are now in the running for the state award. Not only was this our first time ever submitting to this competition, but we had two teams from two different classes be named state finalists. The most exciting part about these two projects is they were not extracurricular. They were part of things they were already doing in class.”

One of the teams, consisting of Hulet Neely, Shania Stewart, Layla Crayon  and Nevaeh Craven, designed the Quick Save CPR Mat — a tool guiding individuals in administering CPR without formal training. Placed on the victim’s chest, the mat provides voice commands, directing users on hand placement and the appropriate pressure for effective CPR.

“There are not a lot of people CPR certified or trained to do CPR which is very sad because anything can happen at any given time,” Crayon said. “We made this device portable so you can do CPR anywhere without having to wait for an ambulance or emergency technicians to arrive. It can save time which will save lives.”

Another invention comes from the team comprising Justin Johnson and Tre’von Davis — the Feather Falling Shoe. This potentially life-saving device, when worn, detects when a person experiences a fall.

“Our invention was created to address the shortage of healthcare workers in nursing homes,” Johnson said. “There are load sensors in our shoe that can detect and measure if someone has fallen. The system will then alert staff that someone has fallen.”

Johnson shared a personal connection to the project.

“My grandfather’s passing resulted from a fall during my childhood,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to prevent such incidents by providing a detection device that alerts others to a fall.”

Now that they have been named finalists, Davis noted they will focus on redesigning their prototype and conduct more testing.

“Right now, we have 60 percent accuracy so far,” Davis said. “It works best on tile, but we want to tailor it to work better on carpet.”

“Congratulations to the NCCA STEM Institute teams for their outstanding achievement as state finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition,” said Shakila Henderson-Baker, chair of the Newton County Board of Education. “Their innovative projects, such as the Quick Save CPR Mat and Feather Falling Shoe, showcase not only technical prowess but also a commendable commitment to community well-being. We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and eagerly anticipate their continued success in the competition.”