You are here to come up with your own idea, take risk, spread diversity and boost social network interaction while defending privacy, you are here to keep the net neutral, you are here to be the hero of our times.

It is you who can harness the technology and tailor it to the needs of the humanity - not the other way around. Turn words into actions and reshape the world we live in for the generations to come.

The main theme of the very first STEM Games - NextGen Society - was presented in January. We kept you waiting but in the blink of an eye, months have passed and now the time is right for you to find out the challenges to be faced with in each of the Arenas. You’ll be faced with “dangerous” challenges but don’t worry - facing with challenges is provided by Croatia Osiguranje - the general STEM Games sponsor.

Science Arena: Smart Medicine

Less than a century ago, people died of bacterial infections. Revolution was brought by Fleming whose penicillin has changed the world. During the time, improved drugs used for treating numerous diseases have been developed thus extending human lifetime. Unfortunately, there are still lethal diseases we cannot fight against.

How will the medicine and treating of diseases killing millions of people look like in the future? Can we utilize new technologies in healthcare and medical treatments? Can we enhance the existing drugs with new scientific discoveries? Are we close to finding a cure for cancer? In the Science Arena, teams will try to solve tasks in field of smart medicine technologies.

Technology Arena: Risk assessment

Surprises are excellent if your friends are throwing you a surprise party but in the majority of cases, we don’t want anything to come as a bolt from the blue. We want to predict situations to be able to respond and prevent them if possible. Crystal balls haven’t changed the world but machine learning has. Can we prevent catastrophes in a matter of minutes? With artificial intelligence on the rise, can we prepare for the worst days or even months before it happens? Can we predict illnesses and insure a better life? The Technology Arena will put teams in difficult task of deciphering human nature.

Croatia osiguranje, as an agile company dedicated to new technologies, is ready for the upcoming turn which will shape NextGen Society by transforming users, business models and related risks. For the first step in creating safe low(er)-risk future, Croatia Osiguranje is a theme partner of the Technology Arena and will provide participants with an opportunity to come up with innovative solutions.

Engineering Arena: Transport & Energy

Just a century ago, it was impossible to travel from one part of the Earth to another in a month. Today, information travel almost in real-time and people and merchandise in a couple of days. The same can be applied to transportation. Not that long ago, it was nearly impossible to build a vehicle which doesn’t have an internal combustion engine and which could be efficiently used.

With the technology advances, we can take care of nature and simultaneously use renewable energy sources let alone have fast and efficient transmission and transportation. The question to be raised is what will the future bring regarding technology and solving transportation and energy issues. Can we build a better and more efficient car? What will be the future transportation challenges? Will we be prepared for every terrain and task ahead of us? Teams in the Engineering Arena will have to come up with innovative transportation solutions in challenging conditions.

Your creativity and ability to come up with innovative solutions is supported by AVL-AST in the Engineering Arena. AVL-AST is the biggest independent company dedicated to developing, simulating and testing drives for cars, trucks and huge engines. They have already been working on changes to be introduced to the means of transport.

Mathematics Arena: Flight to Mars

At first glance, Mars and math don’t go hand in hand. However, math will fly you right to Mars in STEM Games. When we finally reach Mars, which nature forces should be expect? Can our rocket survive flight to our base? Can math help us prepare for unexpected and unknown? Let your team describe your mathematical rocket and fly it to the victory!

The scope of Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ranges from control and optimization of manufacturing and financial math to simulation and modelling of field forces to heavy agricultural machinery. This year, only in STEM Games, Fraunhofer flies to Mars supporting us in solving exercises in the Mathematical Arena.

Faculties are currently selecting their representatives who will show what they got in interdisciplinary teams and fight for the prestigious title of the first STEM Games winner. Team formation ends on Sunday, 29 April and for all those who haven’t made the cut in either problem-solving exercises or sporting competitions, we have prepared weekend arrangement!