Design & Pitch Challenges in STEM, Round 2

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Students will meet inventors and entrepreneurs who share their insights into the process of creation, from concept to prototype, pitch, production, and distribution. They will encounter a selection of Challenges that can be approached from many angles, using different areas of knowledge, techniques, and technology. Finally, it is their task to come up with an innovative solution to a Challenge and create a short, engaging pitch to convince a panel of investors that it’s worth funding.

It is critical that students learn to recognize when to reach out and teach themselves something new about STEM, their clients, or the situation. The world needs their big ideas!

Appropriate Age Levels:
Grades 6-12

Included Materials

Challenge: Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose
Many products that we use (often briefly) and dispose of are made of non-renewable resources. These freely available waste materials present an opportunity for savvy entrepreneurs. Guided by Challenge Champion & CEO of South Post Oak Recycling Center, Brandi Harleaux, students will design a product that brings new life to this waste.

Challenge: Negate Noise
Although noise often provides helpful information about the world, constant exposure to noise pollution can lead to multiple negative health outcomes. Active Noise Canceling (ANC) technology, alters the shape and amount of sound waves that enter our ears, and can help mitigate this problem. Audiologist Dr. Antony Joseph challenges students to find an innovative way to apply ANC to make the world more accessible.

Challenge: Routes Reimagined
When we plan out how to get somewhere, we might consult a navigation app or a map. Unfortunately, many navigation apps prioritize the fastest routes, and many maps leave out a community’s hidden gems. What if there were a navigation app that let people plan journeys based on criteria that they care about? Guided by Challenge Champion and GIS expert, Alison DeGraff Ollivierre, students will identify the needs, interests, and values of the people who will use a navigation app, and find creative ways to help people get where they need to go.

Challenge: Gaming for Change
Playing video games together can connect people when it is impossible to meet in person. Games based on projectile motion can appeal to experienced gamers and novices alike, but few video games capitalize on the power of projectile motion in a nonviolent way to encourage connectedness and well-being. Game designer Fawzi Mesmar, challenges students to design an engaging, nonviolent, and accessible game that uses projectile motion to make a positive impact on the world.

Challenge: Goal Tracker
Businesses and people are more likely to make positive changes if they believe change is possible and have opportunities to celebrate progress. This provides a chance for entrepreneurs to create products that inspire long-lasting change through innovative visuals that demonstrate gradual progress. In this Challenge, you will design a business that helps users change unwanted behaviors or develop new healthy habits through tracking and visualizing their progress.