Tester, Walsh meet with Montana students from Sunburst Junior High

School is national winner of $140,000 to support STEM education

(U.S. SENATE) – Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh today met with students from Sunburst Junior High School during their visit to the nation’s capital. The group is one of five national winners of the Samsung 2014 Solve for Tomorrow competition. The school is receiving $140,000 to spend on technology resources to support education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Sunburst students beat out thousands of entries from around the country.

At today’s meeting in the Senate, the students discussed their winning project, a four-part approach to solving the alkali crisis that reduces visibility on Montana’s highways.

“When Montana’s students are well-trained in the STEM fields, they are uniquely positioned to be leaders in the economy of tomorrow,” Walsh said. “I congratulate the students from Sunburst and encourage them to continue on in their endeavors. With these young people at the helm, Montana has a very bright future in store.”

“It’s encouraging to see Montana students coming up with creative ways to solve today’s problems,” said Tester, a former teacher. “We need more problem-solvers leading our state and our nation in the 21st century. It was an honor to meet the students from Sunburst.”

The group from Sunburst Junior High School researched, identified, and applied solutions for remediating the alkali crisis that impacts the community, looking to find a solution for the blowing alkali across the local interstate highway. Windy conditions can blow salt across the interstate, leading to reduced visibility and whiteout conditions. Solving the problem will lead to a safer community for residents and visitors.