Years 7 and 8 MIT Global Project "Build Better Plants" for STEAM Expo

St Andrews High School Students from Years 7 and 8 had a very enjoyable and successful week working on their STEAM MIT Global Challenge: designing a plant that could cope with extreme weather phenomenons in Thailand. The students worked in cross-year group teams, researching and planning for their designs of incredible plants. These were then built as models in workshops. There was a real sense of excitement and teamwork as each team collaborated on finding ways to solve this problem. Attending the Expo were many of the parents, excited as always to see the results of their children’s efforts.

MIT “Build Better” Challenge – a 3-Day STEAM Event 

As part of their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) education at St Andrews International School Bangkok, High School students were tasked with a project that falls under the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) challenge themed, “Build Better” lead by Ms Holly - our High School STEAM and Sustainability Lead. The objective? Design a new plant that would thrive in spite of extreme changes in weather and climate. They had to review plant anatomy and physiology, identify environmental stressors that could affect Thailand in the future, and ensure that the plant they designed would also produce seeds.

The students were then tasked with producing a physical model or drawing and showing  their research and process through a video and slideshow. All was to be presented at the Expo on the final day.

STEAM Education at St Andrews

At St Andrews International School Bangkok, we aim to develop great thinkers and innovators. Delivered on Nord Anglia’s Global Campus, our collaboration with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) offers students an immersion into STEAM via experiential learning.

STEAM education recognises that to be successful in technical fields, individuals must also be creative and use critical thinking skills, which are best developed through exposure to the Arts. Creativity and thinking outside the box lead to great discoveries that impact our world in amazing ways. Project-based, interdisciplinary, and up-to-date with current global topics, we believe these STEAM projects provide them with a lifelong foundation for curiosity and real-world problem solving.

With our hands-on approach and supportive environment at St Andrews, we ensure our bright students develop essential skills for success in the 21st century.