Project gallery

Winner 2021
Mexico
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#Environment

Sustainable dam

Report sent by the Teacher

Juan Carlos Ramírez Rico

School

Telebachillerato Comunitario 014 Ejido Ricardo Flores Magón, Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Project team composition

Alejandra Lagos Hernández Melannie, Dayanna Silva Izaguirre Genesis, Eric Hernandez Rodriguez, Juanilu Castillo Guzman Evelyn, Vanessa Ruiz Huerta

Age of students

15 to 17 years old

Other areas of knowledge

Project duration

From one month to three months

Soft skills

Collaboration, Creativity, Critical thinking

STEM areas

Engineering, Sciences
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Empathy: learning from people’s values and needs

Project objective, problem to be solved, and main actions

The main objective of the project was to mix waterproof technology to prevent water from passing through.

The problem was the rupture of the El Camalote estuary, which contaminated the freshwater of the lagoon with salt water. In the municipality of Altamira, in the state of Tamaulipas, the drinking water of the Champayán lagoon has high levels of salinity. Water contamination occurs when the dam on the El Camalote estuary breaks; its purpose is to separate fresh and saltwater. The wall is formed by stacked clay bags that, not resisting the pressure of the Tamesí River, caused the rupture and allowed the infiltration of salt water. This contamination caused salinized water to be distributed to homes, causing allergic reactions in some people and raising the costs of purified water; as filters and purification processes had to raise their standards to provide quality water.

Classes continued as normal and the team received after-hours video calls in which we held a discussion table about community situations. Then, the call to participate was officially presented and brainstorming continued to solve each problem raised, selecting the most viable for execution.

I presented the proposal to the students. We did the development by recognizing their skills and qualities that they could be able to develop in the classroom, focusing on the potential they had to win.

 

 

Definition: better understanding of the challenges

Deepening into the issue and involvement of the school and local community

We had the support of the school (direction, teachers, and parents association) for economic help, logistics, and areas of knowledge outside of mine. Emotional support from colleagues. There was also support from employers for working students, in terms of schedules and permits.

Ideation: developing creative solutions

The development of the solution

  • Field visits: disaster area, lagoon, and sea. (Face to face)
  • Practices: trial and error creation of the mixture, the strength of the material. (Face to face)
  • Video calls to share information, research, and decision-making. (Virtual).

 

 

Prototype: making ideas tangible

The construction of the prototype

We made a prototype and presented it to the student community.

 

Test: putting ideas out into the world

Evaluation of the process and the developed solution

Participation in the project was part of the students’ qualification; a percentage that was reflected in the attitude, position in the culture of failure, and success of each phase; expressed emotions, and prior and developed knowledge.

Reflections and pedagogical practices

The value of participating in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

Remove the chip from my students which says that because they are from rural schools, they cannot continue at the university or participate in competitions.


Achievements and advances perceived by the teacher, throughout the process

Achieve to increase the percentage of graduates entering the university.

Challenges faced

Infrastructure and material resources.

Learning incorporated into the teacher’s routine and practice

Empower students to achieve their goals.


Teacher’s Tips

Trust the students’ potential and be present in every step they take, showing confidence in them.

#Schedule

Solve for Tomorrow is present in several countries in the region.

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