CDH Students Earn Top Honors at ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge

Biology students have been working since January on their ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge projects, designing creative solutions to improve animal exhibits and enrichment at the Minnesota Zoo. After classroom assessments, several projects were selected to advance to ZOOMS Exhibition Day, held Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

The statewide competition continues to grow each year. In 2026, 85 schools participated, with a record 5,244 students in grades K–12 creating 1,676 projects focused on real-world challenges facing zoo animals and animal care teams.

For CDH science teacher Mike Steineman '92, the project provides an opportunity to connect classroom learning with practical applications. He noted that “the ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge is a great way for us to connect the learning CDH students receive in Science & Engineering classes to the life sciences when they are in our biology classes,” adding that students benefit from working on “real world problems” and collaborating with peers across different biology levels.

This year’s challenge also gave students more freedom to design creatively. Steineman explained that the Exhibit Design Challenge allowed students to create an entirely new sea lion exhibit rather than redesigning an existing one, giving them what he described as “a blank slate” that let their ideas expand in new directions.

That creative flexibility is part of what makes the project a favorite for science teacher Frances Sorenson. She said “the ZOOMS project is a personal favorite because it offers students immense creative freedom,” as teams move from brainstorming and building to presenting their ideas. Along the way, she explained, each group finds its own approach, whether that means detailed blueprints, CAD programming, or hands-on model construction that highlights their design process.

CDH students’ creativity and hard work paid off at the exhibition, where they swept the top three overall awards - marking the third year in a row the school has won the ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge.

First Place Overall: Sea Lion Shenanigans
Lexi Jacobson '28 and Nora Merlin '28

Second Place Overall: Purposeful Play for Pinnipeds
Becca Chestovich '28, Izzy Matzek '28, Helen Summers '28, and Eve Wachlarowicz '28

Third Place Overall: ZOOMS 2026
Madison Gehrman '28, Amelia Meier '28, Zora Omann '28, and Nora Tacheny '28

Another CDH team - Lillian Brueggemann '28, Ella Henningsgard '28, Alexandra Ishaq '28, and Mads Meyer '28 - also received special attention when their project was featured on Fox 9 News during morning broadcasts.

For first-place student Alexa Jacobson, one of the most exciting parts of the competition was bringing the team’s concept to life. “My favorite part about the competition was getting to build the actual model,” she said, explaining that it allowed her to “let my imagination go wild” while combining creativity with design.

Her team’s idea was partly inspired by childhood memories of visiting aquariums. Jacobson said she remembered loving the bubble viewing domes where visitors could feel surrounded by the water and animals. Recreating that feeling on a larger scale became an exciting part of their design.

The process also came with challenges. Jacobson explained that the team spent time figuring out how much space their exhibit would realistically take up and deciding what elements needed to be adjusted. They worked through those decisions by consulting teachers and relying on their creativity to refine the final concept.

Ultimately, the goal was to create a space that benefits both the animals and the people who care for them. Jacobson said their design gives sea lions more room to swim freely - helping mimic the natural environment - while also including areas where zoo staff can conduct research, care for the animals, and educate visitors.

Photos of the projects and winning teams are on the ZOOMS website. The CDH community can also get a behind-the-scenes look at the experience on the CDH Instagram page, where Helen Summers documented a “Day in the Life” of students attending the ZOOMS exhibition.