A Broadcom MASTERS challenge partner since 2016, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Md., usually spends one day in October hosting the country’s top middle school scientists. Although the Broadcom MASTERS 2020 finalists were not able to travel to the Chesapeake Bay due to the competition going virtual, SERC staff members found a different way to test the students’ critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration skills. Before the competition week started, each finalist was asked to collect 15 to 20 leaves, upload a picture of each and record where they were found.

The Broadcom MASTERS, the nation’s premier middle school STEM competition, emphasizes a critical component in advancing science research or any important work for that matter: collaboration.