Even though the live edition of STEM Games was already cancelled twice because of the current situation we are all familiar with, this year the Games have adapted to the new normal and continued to bring students together. This year that was done in an online edition!

It’s needless to say that we have all been waiting impatiently for that second week of May to finally see what this years’ STEM Games Safe Mode edition has in store for us. After a complete concept change, a series of sleepless nights and an unimaginable amount of effort from organizers, mentors and partners, the international competition of STEM students brought together more than 100 contestants!

Teams of students throughout Croatia, but also from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, have tested their innovative ideas through a series of tasks inspired by real life problems caused by the ongoing pandemic, and all of that from the safety of their homes. Everyday of the competition also meant a new task such as constructing phylogenetic tree of the covid-19 virus, understanding the PCR method, fixing failures on a robot manipulating with covid-19 test samples, calculating credit risks during the pandemic and dealing with the effects of this hectic period on our environment.

Time flies when you’re having fun and so this intense three-day STEM Games competition has come to an end. The final results and prizes are on their way, and we are bringing you every detail of the events from STEM Games arenas so you could feel this years’ positive, but competitive atmosphere. Preparations for the next year can already start! #readySTEMgo #STEMGames2021

STEM Games Safe Mode Day 1

The first day of the modern clash of young STEM forces is behind us, and it is needless to say that the competition was exciting. 28 teams have been waiting for the clock to tick that one last minute so that we can start with this years’ set of tasks. It’s 9:00 am and so we begin. The competition was uncertain and it was impossible to make any predictions because the team names moved like crazy on the leaderboard. Tasks being solved were related to genetic properties of covid-19, its genome and mutations, understanding the testing methods for covid-19 and tracking its different species, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The clock has struck midnight, the tasks have been submitted and the first day of the new edition of STEM Games has ended. After the final points summary for this day, the first 5 leading teams on Day 1 were:

MATHOS with 92 points;

ChupapiMuñaños with 86 points;

150-300 with 76 points;

CarpeDiem with 70 points;

While UniriDoTokija and GEYOTEN both have 69 points.

The remaining places were taken by the following teams in order:

RostiljUSubotu; 3.14vo; KopačkeDiadora; LUDO; Brainiacs; 80%Capacity; TheFellowshipOfTheCode; YieldToSTEMptation; STEMgmentationFault; SpiritSisterNinjas; 4040NameNotFound; VAL; BagOfPotatoes; BESTies; Buduci_inzinjeri; and TeskiLuksuzTim.

MATHOS came out as the winner of the first day, but it is not over yet because there are still 2 days ahead of us. #readySTEMgo

STEM Games Safe Mode Day 2

While sleepily waiting for 9 am again, our contestants had the chance to solve the quiz we prepared together with our general sponsor, Croatia osiguranje. My Smart Career quiz reveals which position at CO, from actuary to developer, fits you perfectly and how to apply for it.

It’s 9:00 am and we are starting again. Our contestants will spend the second day exploring the causes and consequences of the pandemic from a medical perspective. The first daily task is brought by the Technology Arena mentor, Infinum, in which the answer to the burning question of how to stop the pandemic is being found with the help of modelling the spread of the pandemic. On the other hand, the mentor of the Engineering Arena, Vertiv, is bringing the challenge of constructing respirator parts. During the day modelling was also used for designing respirator power supply devices, investigating the effects of isolation and vaccination on people, as well as the challenges of finding a vaccine. The clock has struck midnight for the second time, the tasks have been submitted and the second day of the new STEM Games edition has finished.

After the final summary of the second day points, the first 5 leading teams were:

CarpeDiem with 253 points;

MATHOS with 228 points;

ChupapiMuñaños with 201 point;

150-300 with 176 points;

I UniriDoTokija with 164 points;

The remaining places belonged to the teams in order:

KopačkeDiadora; GEYOTEN; 3.14vo; Brainiacs; RoštiljUSubotu; 4040NameNotFound; TheFellowshipOfTheCode; STEMgmentationFault; LUDO; 80%Capacity; YieldToSTEMptation; SpiritSisterNinjas; VAL; BESTies; Motokultivatori; BagOfPotatoes; Buduci_inzinjeri; TeskiLuksuzTim; FESB; GeoGuesser; GravityPersuaders; and GaussoviSvjedoci;

CarpeDiem won the winner title of the second day and now it is clear that the situation changes from one minute to another, or from day to day that is. But nothing is lost yet because tomorrow the crucial last day of STEM Games Safe Mode awaits us; the grand finale which brings the title of the overall winner and rich rewards. Sharpen your minds and we will see you tomorrow! #readySTEMgo #STEMGames2021

STEM Games Safe Mode Day 3

The last anticipation of the beginning of the competition is here and the situation is so tense you could cut the air with a knife. This third day the contestants will spend solving everyday problems caused by the pandemic. It is 9:00 am and we are taking off! The last day of the competition can begin. Today the first task is brought by the Science Arena mentor, OIKON, in which our contestants will be dealing with the transfer of covid-19 from human to snake eagle. Technology Arena mentor, Infobip, is bringing a task concerning the challenge of constant covid-19 testing when crossing country borders, while Privredna banka Zagreb, Mathematics Arena mentor, puts forward a problem of credit risks related to the pandemic period. It is the third time that the clock has struck midnight, the last tasks were submitted and the new edition of STEM Games has finished.

After the last points have been summed up, the first 5 teams are:

CarpeDiem with 464 points;

MATHOS with 437 points;

ChupapiMuñaños with 413 points;

150-300 with 376 points;

UniriDoTokija with 339 points;

The rest of the teams were following in order:

GEYOTEN; KopačkeDiadora; 3.14vo; Brainiacs; 404NameNotFound; TheFellowshipOfTheCode; STEMgmentationFault; RoštiljUSubotu; SpiritSisterNinjas; 80%Capacity; VAL; LUDO; YieldToSTEMptation; BESTies; Motokultivatori; BagOfPotatoes; Buduci_inzinjeri; TeskiLuksuzTim; and FESB;

Sincere congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all of the contestants who adapted with us and participated not only in another successful STEM Games, but in its premiere Safe Mode edition. Nothing can replace the original Games but the key to success is adaptation and willingness to change, and in this year full of uncertainties we embraced the „new normal“ and reminded ourselves that there is always a way. Until next year! #DareToAdapt #ReadySTEMGo #STEMGames2021