SCOTTSDALE — Snowflake Junior High School has been selected as one of 10 National Finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition and, as part of the contest, wants to help support the wildlife and science education programs offered by the Phoenix Herpetological Society.
As a National Finalist, a team from Snowflake Junior High School will go to New York City to present its project prototype in front of a live panel of judges, for a chance to be named a National Winner. The Snowflake Junior High School project is a low-cost wildlife detection system that will warn drivers when large animals like elk and deer approach the road. While not a new idea, the project addresses the need for a low-cost system that can be deployed on a widespread basis. Collisions with large animals cause more than 150 deaths per year and countless auto accidents.
The team from Snowflake worked with Jeff Gagnon, biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Before presentations in New York, the 10 National Finalists are competing to become the Community Choice Winner. The Community Choice winner will receive an additional $20,000 in Samsung technology for their school plus a $15,000 donation to a nonprofit organization of its choice. The Snowflake team has chosen Phoenix Herpetological Society (PHS), a Scottsdale reptile sanctuary that also offers an array of science and wildlife conservation education programs.
– Vote now for community choice winner:
The school with the highest combined total of votes using its school’s custom hashtag will win the Community Choice Award. Snowflake Junior High School’s hashtag is: #SamsungSolveSJHS. Anyone can vote once per day by going to www.samsung.com/solve. People can also tweet votes directly from their Twitter accounts, as long as the school’s hashtag is included.
Voting is open now through March 17, 2017.
For more information about PHS, including reservation-only tours of the private sanctuary or education programs, go to www.phoenixherp.com or call 480-513-4377 (HERP).
