Butler Junior High School teacher David Andrews, seen showing students wildlife in Thorn Creek, has been recognized for his biology class in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenge.

A Butler Junior High School biology class has been getting some recognition after being named a state finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenge.

That is a nationwide, STEM-incentivized contest asking how science, technology, engineering or math can be applied to help improve the community.

Teacher David Andrews recently received two Samsung Galaxy Tabs, which are tablet devices, to be used in the classroom for his students’ ongoing project of raising trout and releasing them into the wild.

“We are going to use them for collecting and storing water testing data, as well as all of our information for the Trout in the Classroom program,” he said.

Andrews said he told Samsung about his project with trout, how students raise the fish in classroom tanks, learn about how to test water quality, and release the trout in streams to repopulate the native fish.

More than 2,300 schools submitted proposals to Samsung’s nationwide, STEM-incentive contest. There were 255 finalists nationwide, including Andrews’ class. Four other schools in Pennsylvania are state finalists.

If Andrews’ class advances to the next round, it will receive about $1,400 in Samsung electronics to create a three-minute video about the curriculum. Five schools will receive a grand prize next year, which will total more than $125,000 in Samsung merchandise at each school.

Students in grades six to 12 are eligible for the national education contest.