The Garrett China WeChat audience voted on their favorite submissions for the Children’s Day STEM Challenge and the winners were announced in June.

Hong Shu Yao won in the 0-5 years age group for her watermelon flashlight which helps to show whether the watermelon is ripe or not, while Jin Wei Qi won in the the 6-10 years age group for her Scratch cat and mouse game programming.

“During the process, I explored innovative ideas with my child, helped her to overcome difficulties and to focus on the end result” said Garrett employee Ji Hong Jian.  “I hope that as a “big child” I can also keep a “child’s heart” in life to explore new and creative things.”

“This activity helped our children acquire new knowledge, but it also strengthened the interaction and communication we have as parents with our children. In the future, software and computer programming will be a core skill that every child must have, so I am very pleased that my daughter chose the theme Scratch fun programming for this competition “ said Garrett Employee Jin Wei Jie.

Congratulations to both winners of Garrett China’s Children’s Day WeChat STEM challenge and thank you to all the Garrett families who participated in uncovering the next generation of inventors, innovators and leaders!

May 29, 2020

Many families have spent much more time at home with each other over the last few months, and the Garrett China team is helping to provide some STEM-related activities and education to keep the kids engaged and learning through a Children’s Day challenge in the country.

Continuing the company’s focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education within communities, parents in China were invited to submit videos or photos on WeChat, the country’s social media platform, of their children participating in a STEM-themed project, experiment or module. The Garrett WeChat audience get to vote on their favorite submissions starting today, June 1, until Sunday, June 7. The contest is divided into two age groups, 0-5 years and 6-10 years.

Garrett’s Anderson Geng supported his 6-year-old daughter Geng Yatong as she worked hard to complete smaller projects to understand how some things work like magnetism, gears, levers and scales.

“Children need hands-on practice to let them realize the significance of science,” said Geng. “She likes to make these assembled toys very much. It is very surprising that one of the projects was entirely completed by herself after many attempts! Of course, there were also anxiety and tempers after many failures. However, after our encouragement, she got back at it, which is also a kind of cultivation of patience for both children and parents. It doesn’t matter much at this stage if she fully understands the profound theories such as the principle of leverage, power transmission and so on, but what makes me feel happy and proud is that she really focused on these small projects and enjoyed them.”

The contest is part of Garrett’s WeCare4 sustainability and community outreach initiative, which was the driving force behind the company’s global STEM Month in February.

“The truth is that nearly all elements of our modern world – our possessions, jobs, high quality of life, and so much more – would not be available to us if it wasn’t for passionate people in STEM fields,” said Garrett Chief Technology Officer Craig Balis said during the STEM Month activities. “That passion is something Garrett can further strengthen in young people throughout the communities in which we serve – they are, after all, our future inventors, innovators and leaders.”

Below are some snapshots from several entries into the WeChat STEM contest. The winner will be selected later in June and will be announced on WeChat and GarrettMotion.com.

Readers based in China can visit Garrett’s WeChat by scanning this QR code.