Students redesign exhibit for endangered Malayan tapir in STEM challenge

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. -- This year, thousands of students from Minnesota are competing in the Minnesota Zoo's "Zooms STEM Design Challenge."

About 120 team projects were selected to move on to this week's exhibition at the zoo.

The teams are using their knowledge of the endangered Malayan tapir to compete in a design challenge that's part Animal Planet and part HGTV.

Their mission: Research and design a new 3D "home away from home" for the tapirs exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo.

Some of the ideas from elementary school kids included mirrors for the tapirs as they like seeing themselves, grip material around the pool to keep the animals from slipping and textured rocks the tapirs can rub against for massage.

The students are competing for prize, there's also pride in knowing that some of their ideas may eventually make it right here into the tapir's habitat.

"We had a design challenge here with our grizzly bears. Students used approved materials that were safe for grizzly bears, and we were actually able to introduce in the enrichment. We are really using their ideas to better our animals' lives at the zoo," said Kristi Berg, STEM Specialist at Minnesota Zoo.

Protecting animals and the environment while allowing the students to put STEM into action.

"STEM is a part of school in every single way it's a part of every job you see," said Alea Kahn, a teacher at Highlands Elementary School.

"It allows them to see what they're capable of in school and see how it translates into real life," said Kahn.

Middle schoolers will compete Wednesday, and the design challenge wraps up with high school teams on Thursday.

Teachers can sign up for next year's Zooms STEM Challenge starting in May. For more information, click here.