BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — If you ask Dr. Kirstin Milks at Bloomington High School South, STEM is a daily part of every Hoosier student's routine.
"They try something, and it doesn't work," Milks said. "They figure out why, and they try it again."
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Some of Milks' seniors are traveling to Washington, D.C. in May to compete in a national STEM competition with $100,000 on the line.
It's the "Solve for Tomorrow" competition, hosted by Samsung, which challenges students to use STEM to create positive change in their own communities.
"I haven't done a lot of projects that are this technical," said Rebekah Mou, a senior at Bloomington South.
Mou's team has already been named Indiana's winner of the competition, cashing in $50,000 worth of technology for the school. The next step, however, comes May 15.
That's when South will present their idea to Samsung executives and STEM experts for the chance to be named a national winner and bring home $100,000.
For their project, the group decided to take on one of the biggest STEM challenges of all.
"Essentially, with global warming and urbanization, there is this big issue with urban heat islands where humans are facing extreme heat stress," said senior Ethan Kiang.
"Climate change is a huge issue," said Emma Shaw, a senior at Bloomington South, "Growing up, that was always just terrifying for me. I am a creative person, so getting to help find solutions through an art form is so, so cool to me."
The South seniors are using the whitest and coolest paint ever created to construct a mural on the side of the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology in downtown Bloomington.
Students say it will not only cool the surface of the building, but it will also reflect heat back out of the atmosphere.
"It will have an aesthetic function but also an actual function," Mou said.
The paint comes from researchers two hours up the road at Purdue University.
Now, the Panthers are synthesizing the paint themselves and putting it to good use.
"I really like the idea of contributing to the climate change solution," Kiang said. "Even in our own little way in our own little community, being able to kind of feel like you're helping and feel like your work is actually doing something positive."
"I think just introducing more people, not only to this paint, but getting them excited about these new, creative ways that we can help the environment," Shaw said.
The group traveling to D.C. is made up of about 10 seniors. Some of them are artists, while others consider themselves to be chemists and environmentalists.
Shaw said the final stage of the competition on May 15 is a 10-minute pitch — four minutes of presentation and six minutes of questions.
"This is my first time competing in such a large-scale competition," Shaw said.
Milks said she is proud of the work her students have accomplished so far. The work, however, is not complete. The students hope to paint the mural this summer, regardless of the outcome in Washington, D.C.
"I think, oftentimes, teachers envision what students could do, if given the opportunity," Milks said, "and I so appreciate these students coming to me and saying, 'We have this idea.' For eight or 10 of them to work together in so many different ways, it has been really exciting to see."
"It is just nice having this group of people where we can all collaborate and put our skills together," Mou said.
Hoosiers can root for the Panthers during online voting for the Community Choice Award. The winning school will bring home an additional $10,000.
While Milks gave kudos to her students, the seniors returned the favor to their teacher.
"She is a great teacher," Mou said. "She is always there to help people when they are trying to figure out what to do. Not just in school, but she will do counseling for colleges. She will help people figure out what they want to do."
Milks, who teachers AP biology and earth and space science, expressed her thanks to the Bloomington community for its outpouring of support so far.
"The support they've been getting is just incredible," Milks said.
Mou will attend Purdue University in the fall to study biomedical engineering.
Shaw, who said she grew up going to the WonderLab Museum, is headed to the University of Vermont to study biology.
Kiang plans on attending Harvard University this fall to pursue a degree in environmental engineering.
"I'm so proud of them," Milks said. "We hear a lot in the media about how teaching is difficult, and it is difficult, but it is equally, richly rewarding. These students and the work they are doing and their hope for the future, it really makes it worth it."