Frost Science STEM Challenge

A new challenge-based STEM program for M-DCPS high school students.

Frost Science is excited to announce our first ever STEM Challenge, launching during the 2024-2025 academic year. This year-long challenge engages 11th and 12th grade students and teachers in a STEM focused investigation. The STEM Challenge culminates in a STEM Challenge Expo at the museum, where students present their work to content expert judges. Winning students will win scholarships to Florida public universities.

About

Participating students are tasked with completing an investigation aligned to one of the museum’s core science disciplines: marine science, health, astronomy and paleontology. Each year, a common theme is chosen as a lens through which students explore real-world questions developed by experts in these fields. Students choose a focus discipline (track) and work towards answering one of these questions by creating a model of their design solution.

REGISTER HERE

2024-2025 STEM Challenge

Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

The problems presented by the STEM Challenge are based on a central theme. Each year, the theme of the STEM Challenge will change along with each STEM Challenge problem. The theme for the inaugural STEM Challenge is “Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.”

The issues arising from the rapidly changing climate have become and will continue to be prevalent in our daily lives. This year’s STEM Challenge theme prompts students to think about real-world problems that scientists are facing as a result of climate change, while encouraging them to think creatively about applicable solutions. Students can choose to answer questions relating to marine science, health, paleontology, or astronomy to explore climate issues and design innovative solutions.

  • Spring 2024: Registration opens
  • August 6, 2024: Professional learning for participating teachers
  • Fall 2024-Spring 2025: Classroom-based project work
  • Spring 2025: STEM Challenge Expo at Frost Science
  • Environmental Science
  • STEM Research Elective
  • Biology AP
  • Marine Science
  • Ecology
  • Health Science
  • Earth and Space Science Honors

Participating teachers will:  

  • Attend a professional learning workshop in summer 2024.
  • Use the resources provided to guide their students through the STEM Challenge.
  • Facilitate the STEM Challenge throughout the school year.
  • Receive a $500 stipend per classroom to purchase materials for student projects.

Participating students will:

  • Choose a track and question to answer.
  • Work in small groups or individually to complete the challenge.
  • Present their work to judges at STEM Challenge Expo at Frost Science.
  • First, second and third place winners, top oral presentations and top models will receive a college scholarship.

Receive your M-DCPS STE(A)M Designation through participation in this challenge with the following engagements:

  • Professional Learning Experience on August 6, 2024.
  • Free Field trip for 30 students to Frost Science.
  • Virtual Meet the Scientist opportunity.
  • Participation in the STEM Challenge Expo with students.

Students may engage with resources as part of STEM Challenge activities or to continue learning after they have completed the STEM Challenge.

STEM Challenge Resources – Activity 2: Sound Sources

STEM Challenge Resources – Activity 4: Pitch Your Point 

Additional Resources

  • Southeast Florida Action Network (SEAFAN) BleachWatch: Students can take a two-hour long BleachWatch training course to learn more about how to identify coral bleaching. After completing their BleachWatch training, students will receive a BleachWatch kit and can report coral bleaching to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
  • Global Bird Count: Students record bird populations in their area from February 14-17, 2025. These observations can help scientists identify how bird ranges, migration patterns, and population sizes change over time.
  • Butterfly Count: Students record butterfly populations in their area. These observations can help scientists identify how butterfly ranges, migration patterns, and population sizes change over time.
  • Galaxy Zoo: While not climate related, students can use the telescope images provided by Galaxy Zoo to observe and classify galaxies.
  • Fossil Atmospheres: Students can classify the cells and cell structures of modern and fossil ginkgo leaves. By looking at observations of how ginkgo leaf structures have changed over time, scientists can learn more about how modern climate differs from ancient climates.

Teacher resources can be found on Canvas. STEM Challenge teachers can also reserve their Field Trip and the Meet the Museum Scientist opportunities by completing the Optional and Additional Engagements Form.

 

Teachers who are interested in registering their classrooms should fill out this registration form:

REGISTER HERE

STEM Challenge Advisory Board Members

The advisory board is comprised of experts in the field of STEM education, marine science, health, and paleontology. Their primary role is to guide the development of the STEM Challenge to ensure it is relevant to their fields and rigorous for students in high school.

Cary Woodruff, Ph.D., Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

Cristian Carranza, Administrative Director (STEAM)
Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Douglas Roberts, Ph.D., President & CEO
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

Ian Enochs, Ph.D., Biologist
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Jayvyn Stewart, Student
Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS)

Kate Lampen-Sachar, M.D., Radiologist
Baptist Health

Kim Mendelson, DBA, Trustee
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science Board of Trustees

Lacey Soriano, Environmental Science Teacher
Braddock High School

Leslie Nisbet, Ph.D., Associate Director of FIU Teach, Associate Chair, Department of Teaching and Learning
Florida International University

Andres Chavez Palma, Organizer
genCLEO

  • Due to teacher interest, we will extend the STEM Challenge to middle school students as the Junior STEM Challenge. For its inaugural year, students participating in the Junior STEM Challenge will complete the same project as high school students. In the future, Frost Science will modify this challenge to better fit a middle school audience. The Junior STEM Challenge aims to prepare students for the STEM Challenge in their high school years, serving as meaningful practice to hone their skills. 
  • Middle school teachers participating in the Junior STEM Challenge will receive the same guidebook with activities and additional resources as high school teachers. For the inaugural year, teachers will be responsible for adapting these resources for their students.  
  • We cannot guarantee a stipend for teachers participating in the Junior STEM Challenge, as the program is being extended to serve this audience on request. Whether the stipend is offered to middle school teachers depends on the number of high school registrations for the STEM Challenge and will be communicated once the registration process is complete. 
  • Students participating in the Junior STEM Challenge will be judged separately from the STEM Challenge. Winning students will receive different prizes from their high school counterparts. 
  • To participate in the Junior STEM Challenge, all students must complete their project as part of a group. The Junior STEM Challenge will only accept individual applicants on special request and they will be judged with their group counterparts. 
  • To register for the Junior STEM Challenge, fill out the registration form. 

Submitted student projects will be judged virtually and in-person during a two-round judging process. Frost Science is currently looking for judges for both rounds of judging. These judges will help determine which students earn scholarships through the program.

Round 1: Virtual Judging

Student projects will be submitted digitally by their teachers before the first round of judging. Judges participating in round one will attend a 1-hour virtual training session before being divided into groups. Each group will review a portion of the STEM Challenge project submissions. Round 1 judges will meet with their assigned group to discuss which students will be moving on to round 2 of judging at the museum on May 10, 2025. Virtual judges will receive four guest passes to Frost Science for their participation.

Round 2: In-person Judging at the STEM Challenge Expo (May 10, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

The second round of judging will occur at the STEM Challenge Expo. During this round of judging, groups of judges will review student projects and presentations in-person. Judges will then deliberate and determine the STEM Challenge winners. In-person judges will receive free parking, four passes to Frost Science, and complementary refreshments and lunch during the event.

Judge Requirements

Judges must have at least a bachelor’s degree and are encouraged to have experience in education, any STEM discipline, or, ideally, experience in one of the four disciplines of the STEM Challenge: astronomy, paleontology, marine science, or health.

Applying to be a Judge

If you are interested in becoming a judge for the STEM Challenge, fill out the judging application form.

Apply to a STEM Challenge Judge

STEM Challenge projects will be evaluated in a rigorous two-stage judging process. While the first round of judging will occur virtually, the second round of judging will be held in-person at Frost Science. Winners of the STEM Challenge will receive college scholarships through Florida Prepaid. The scholarship amounts are as follows:

Individual Project Winners

  • 1st Place: 4-year Florida University Plan
  • 2nd Place: 3-year Florida University Plan
  • 3rd Place: 2-year Florida University Plan
  • Top Oral Presentation: 1-year Florida University Plan
  • Top Model: 1-year Florida University Plan

Group Project Winners

  • 1st Place: 3-year Florida University Plan
  • 2nd Place: 2-year Florida University Plan
  • 3rd Place: 2-year Florida University P
  • Top Oral Presentation: 1-year Florida University Plan
  • Top Model: 1-year Florida University Plan

Junior STEM Challenge Project Winners

  • 1st Place: 1-year Florida University Plan
  • 2nd Place: 1-year Florida University Plan
  • 3rd Place: 1-year Florida University Plan

For winners to receive college scholarships through Florida Prepaid, they must have a valid Social Security Number, be less than 21 years of age, not have graduated high school, be a FL resident for 1+ year, and be a US citizen. If the winning student does not meet one of these criteria, Frost Science will work directly with the student to distribute the scholarship. Scholarships not distributed through Florida Prepaid will not qualify for the matched scholarship value and will be of lesser value.

Florida University Plans distributed through Florida Prepaid are designed to be used at public Florida state universities but may be applied to tuition at private and out-of-state schools. When these scholarships are applied to private and out-of-state schools, their monetary value will be applied to student tuition and will not cover the 1-to-4-year value that they would at a Florida state university.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

The STEM Challenge is a brand-new science-based competition for high-school students hosted by Frost Science. This competition is an engineering design challenge for students in Miami-Dade County and provides an alternative to a traditional science fair, with students designing solutions to real-world environmental issues.

Teachers can register their classes or extracurriculars for the STEM Challenge online by filling out and submitting a completed registration form.

The problems presented in the STEM Challenge are all based on a central theme that will change every year. The theme of the 2024-2025 STEM Challenge is “Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.”

In the STEM Challenge, students will be presented with four different problems, each associated with a different scientific discipline: marine science, astronomy, health and paleontology. Students will select one problem and design a solution that addresses the problem. Once they have designed their solution, students will design and build a model of their solution, then create a presentation that explains how their solution addresses their selected problem.

Projects will be judged in two rounds, with all judging guidelines for both rounds provided to participants in their Student and Teacher Guidebooks. While the first round of judging occurs virtually and mainly assesses individual project components, the second round of presentations will be judged live and in-person. During the STEM Challenge Expo at Frost Science judges will assess the potential impact of each solution along with each project’s rigor and students’ oral presentations.

Students will virtually submit their presentation and photographs of their model for the first round of judging.

Virtual submissions will be judged based on presentation content, solution design and model design. Select students will be invited to the second round of judging held in-person at Frost Science.

All STEM Challenge projects will be judged together regardless of selected prompt. Judges will award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place to both individual projects and to group projects. Judges will also give awards for top oral presentations and top models. 

The judges of the STEM Challenge have not yet been decided. These judges will be experts in education, marine science, astronomy.

Students

Students winning the STEM Challenge will receive scholarships to public Florida state universities. These scholarships may be applied to tuition or used for school related expenses (including on-campus housing, textbooks, meal plans, school supplies, etc.). To receive the scholarship, students or parents/guardians must be Florida residents.

Students who have completed the project individually will compete with other students who have completed individual projects. Likewise, students who have completed the project as part of a group will compete with other student groups. While individual and group projects will be judged separately, all projects will be judged together regardless of prompt. 

Students may participate every year of the STEM Challenge as long as they are still in middle or high school.  

Both individual and group project winners will receive scholarships. While these scholarships are substantial, individual winners will be able to receive larger scholarships than group winners. This is because groups can distribute the workload among members, share ideas, and assign roles within their group. Individual projects will receive larger scholarships as they are responsible for the entire project from start to finish.

No more than four students can work on a STEM Challenge project.

If you would like to participate in the STEM Challenge and do not have a participating teacher, email mteuber@frostscience.org to learn more about how to enter the STEM Challenge.

Middle school students must complete the Junior STEM Challenge and work independently of high school students completing the STEM Challenge. 

Teachers

Teachers participating in the STEM Challenge must attend the Professional Learning Experience at Frost Science on August 6, 2024, complete the introductory activity “Let’s Get Started” with students, and have students submit STEM Challenge projects.

Teachers participating in the STEM Challenge will receive a $500 stipend to buy classroom materials and aid students in completing the STEM Challenge. Teachers in M-DCPS may also receive M-DCPS STE(A)M Designation through M-DCPS through the following engagements:

  • Professional Learning experience on August 6, 2024 (lunch and parking included).
  • Free field trip for up to 30 students to Frost Science.
  • Virtual Meet the Museum Scientist opportunities.
  • Student participation in STEM Challenge event day.

Along with a $500 stipend, teachers will receive a guidebook that includes STEM Challenge activities and recommended pacing guides, grading rubrics, and content connections.

The STEM Challenge is open to all teachers that would like to participate with students.

All teachers participating in the STEM Challenge can receive the $500 stipend if they attend the PD on August 6, 2024 and submit student projects by April 1, 2025. This stipend is distributed to all participating teachers, regardless of the number of teachers that participate at each school or the number of participating classes.

There are four different problems or scientific disciplines for the STEM Challenge: marine science, astronomy, health and paleontology. Teachers may let students select from any of the STEM Challenge problems or require students to address a specific problem for their STEM Challenge project. For example, a Marine Biology class may require all students to address the marine science problem, while an Earth and Space Science class may allow students to select any of the STEM Challenge problems.

Middle school students must complete the Junior STEM Challenge and work independently of high school students completing the STEM Challenge. 

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