By Guojuan Shang | Evergreen Volunteer Mentor

EEF LGS has long been committed to promoting interdisciplinary reading and practical literacy among youth in remote and rural areas. To stimulate students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and cultivate their innovative thinking, hands-on skills, and teamwork spirit, the group initiated the annual STEM challenge with the theme “Rocket Catcher Design” in 2025. This project aims to guide students through a real-world problem-driven, project-based learning process, combining reading, research, design, and practice to complete the entire journey from theory to a finished product,
thereby enhancing their comprehensive competencies.

Via online meetings, detailed explanations of the challenge task were provided to teachers at five project sites located in Jiangxi, Henan, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces. The task was to design and build a device capable of safely “catching” a simulated rocket (low-velocity projectile), with requirements for stability, adjustability, and innovation. Relevant reading materials were distributed, encouraging teachers and students to conduct preliminary material study and group discussions.

Under the organization of teachers or instructors, each project site carried out activities step by step:

• Research and Brainstorm: Students read related materials to understand rocket motion
• principles, catcher structural design, and material properties, completing preliminary design sketches in groups.
• Prototyping: Using limited materials provided by the project (such as cardboard, A4 paper, string, paper clips, tape, etc.), students built catcher prototypes and conducted initial tests.
• Iterate the design: Based on test results, students adjusted designs, improving structural strength, catching accuracy, and operational ease, documenting the improvement process.
• Official Test and Submission: Each group wrote a project report, recorded a demonstration video, and submitted their final work for evaluation.

We invited three STEM education experts, engineers, and teachers to form an evaluation committee. Entries were comprehensively reviewed from three dimensions: final catcher score, scientific merit, and innovation. A total of 51 award-winning primary and secondary school students were selected (including first, second, and third prizes, as well as special awards like Best Design Award).