22/05/2026

Republic of Moldova

Mentor: Rodica Capița
Team: STEAMstormers
Core Question: Which materials conduct heat faster and which act as insulators?
🎯 Objective: To investigate how different materials influence the melting speed of ice and understand thermal conductivity/insulation through a simple experiment.
🧪 Methodology: Students prepared surfaces from different materials (metal/aluminum, wood, plastic, fabric/sponge) and placed equal-sized ice cubes on them. They tracked melting times, recorded tactile temperature sensations, analyzed the results using comparison tables, and presented visual conclusions.
🔗 Project Link: Google Drive Video/File

Mentor: Rodica Capița
Team: STEAMstormers
Core Question: Investigating chemical reactions between different substances.
🎯 Objective: To help students understand observable chemical changes (color transformation, gas formation, temperature variation, or precipitate creation) through hands-on laboratory activities.
🧪 Methodology: After preparing lab materials and safety equipment, students measured and mixed different chemical substances. They carefully observed, recorded visible changes, discussed the scientific explanations behind the reactions, and created an educational video.
🔗 Project Link: Google Drive Video/File

Mentor: Ana Boldișor
Team: Alistar’s Champions
Core Question: Air in the city vs. air in the village.
🎯 Objective: To compare and evaluate the quality of the air we breathe in urban versus rural environments.
🧪 Methodology: Students researched air pollution examples, then hung two sheets of oiled paper on trees—one on a busy city street and one in a village. After a couple of days, they retrieved the sheets, observed that the city paper was noticeably dirtier, formulated conclusions, and produced a video documenting the experiment.
🔗 Project Link: Google Drive Video/File

Mentor: Aculov Rodica
Team: ALTIUS
Core Question: How can we create a simple water filter to clean dirty water using everyday materials?
🎯 Objective: To understand the importance of clean water and water purification while developing critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork by designing a simple water filtration system.
🧪 Methodology: Teams discussed water pollution and the mechanics of filtration. They gathered plastic bottles and layers of materials (sand, gravel, charcoal, cotton). After constructing the filters, they poured dirty water through them, compared the pre- and post-filtered water, analyzed which layers worked best, and presented their scientific reflections.
🔗 Project Link: Google Drive Video/File

Mexico

Mentor: Manuel Alejandro De la Cruz Orozco
Team: STEAMERS
Core Question: Exploring and experimenting with how yogurt transforms into spheres.
🎯 Objective: To explore how food science connects to STEAM by applying the scientific method to advanced culinary techniques.
🧪 Methodology: Students reviewed the theory of spherification. During experimentation, they dropped a spoonful of yogurt into a sodium alginate solution, rinsed the resulting spheres in purified water to remove excess alginate, and conducted observation and analysis throughout the cycle.
🔗 Project Link: Padlet Wish

Mentor: Gloria Estephany Salazar Jimenez
Team: Stars Latino
Core Question: Experimentation on how different amounts of vinegar interact with milk.
🎯 Objective: To engage students in practical scientific methodology and hypothesis testing by analyzing a chemical interaction between everyday ingredients.
🧪 Methodology: Cups were labeled based on different teaspoon measurements of vinegar. Milk was heated and poured into each cup simultaneously. Students noted down their immediate observations, then filtered the substances to track and analyze structural changes.
🔗 Project Link: Padlet Wish