Middle School Students Present Their Winning App to Samsung

Students from won some money, built an Android/Iphone app and visited the headquarters of a major corporation. Not bad for a group of eighth graders.

A group of GATEWays students, the school’s gifted and talented program, took on the challenge of Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest, calling for students to solve an environmental problem using STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The group won a $100,000 technology grant for their Invase Erase app, informing users on invasive species in Lake Hopatcong.

The app building team, along with its teacher Nancy Harris and Doug Walker, the Supervisor of Instructional Technology, was invited to tour the Samsung headquarters in Ridgefield Park just before school ended.

As part of their Solve for Tomorrow honor the 16 students who worked on the app were given a special invitation to tour the Quality Assurance labs and the North American Headquarters of the Samsung Corporation. Students were given the opportunity to try out a variety of Samsung products as well as interact with engineers and executives of the company.

The students presented their Invase Erase App, which is free for download on the Android and Samsung markets, or by using a QR code.

Local marinas are supporting the Invase Erase App and will post signs to aid boaters and fishermen in what they can do to help prevent the spread of invasive species in Lake Hopatcong.